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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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    <language>en-us</language>
    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
    <image>
      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
      <url>https://rip.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle-RIP.jpg</url>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>Strategic Mapping of UAV Test Sites and Corridors to Support Emerging Development and Workforce Training</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2784730</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Develop a comprehensive network of test sites and corridors for electric aviation to assist policymakers, developers, and workforce training institutions in making informed, long-term investments.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 30 Sep 2026 18:29:43 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2784730</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Measuring the Economic, Mobility, and Health Benefits of Multimodal Projects</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2784594</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The previous study, RP 2024-014: Measuring the Economic, Mobility, and Health Benefits of Multimodal Projects, established a strong foundation for evaluating multimodal transportation projects in North Carolina. This research produced a Multimodal Benefits Analysis Tool, designed to evaluate the economic, physical health, and mobility benefits that accrue when co-locating a bicycle and pedestrian facility with existing transit or ferry networks. By using a data-driven geospatial approach, the study demonstrated how multimodal connections can improve access to employment and medical points of interest and improve overall mobility.
The next step is to obtain a deeper understanding of the planning needs of the North Carolina Department of Transportation's (NCDOT’s) Integrated Mobility Division (IMD) and provide guidance on how the tool can be used to help advance these needs. Specifically, the proposed work will focus on translating the technical research into a user-friendly guidebook, a training presentation, and a webinar. These products will provide step-by-step guidance on using the Multimodal Benefits Analysis Tool, highlight relevant case applications, and ensure that IMD staff can apply the tool consistently to align with departmental planning objectives.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2026 15:46:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2784594</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Improving Safety, Privacy, and Innovation: Distracted Driving Mitigation Strategies for Arizona</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2780412</link>
      <description><![CDATA[ This project has five measurable objectives: (1) synthesize national state-of-practice and Arizona crash-data gaps related to distracted driving; (2) characterize Arizona drivers’ distraction behaviors, motivations, technology acceptance, and privacy concerns through a statewide survey; (3) prioritize candidate mitigation strategies using safety, privacy, acceptance, cost, technology maturity, and deployment feasibility criteria; (4) quantify the effects of selected strategies on eyes-off-road time, hazard response, workload, and user acceptance through simulator and controlled vehicle-based testing; and (5) develop a privacy-aware Arizona Distracted Driving Mitigation Framework with voluntary adoption and implementation pathways for Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 18 Sep 2026 17:26:52 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2780412</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Exploring the Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Tools for Workforce Development</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2780404</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The primary objective of this research is to explore the impact of virtual reality (VR) and determine if VR systems are effective for use in workforce development; evaluating their effectiveness in improving employee performance, training consistency, reducing training costs; and evaluating their general applicability to Arizona Department of Transportation's (ADOT's) workforce training needs. 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:54:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2780404</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Assessing the Impact of ADOT’s K–12 Outreach and Workforce Development Programs</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2780395</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The primary objectives of this research are to evaluate the NSTI and ASOS programs and then to assess the programs’ impact on increasing students’ interest in a transportation-related career. In addition, the project should determine the level of support from all stakeholders and determine potential funding sources through Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) grants, new partnerships, etc.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:18:09 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2780395</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Public Transit Automation and the Future of Service Delivery: Scenario Planning for Operations and Workforce Readiness</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2780207</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Public transit agencies are beginning to confront a new generation of automation technologies that will almost certainly alter how service is planned, operated, staffed, and delivered. These technologies include fully automated transit vehicles as well as nearer-term applications in scheduling, dispatching, maintenance, customer information, and operations management. In this project, the research team will examine how transit automation could reshape the relationship between agency operating costs, service quality, and workforce needs. Labor is one of the largest components of transit operating costs; if automation eventually reduces the marginal cost of service delivery, agencies may be able to consider service models that are difficult to sustain today, including much higher frequencies, longer service spans, more extensive feeder service, and more responsive off-peak operations. At the same time, automation could significantly alter job tasks, training requirements, safety responsibilities, staffing models, and long-term employment opportunities.

The research will combine a national practice review, approximately 20–25 semi-structured interviews, at least two focus groups, and scenario planning. Participants will include transit agency staff, labor representatives, riders, advocates, researchers, consultants, technology developers and vendors, and national transit organizations such as the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). The work will identify opportunities and risks associated with automation, including potential changes in service frequency, service span, responsiveness, job tasks, training, staffing, safety oversight, procurement, and public communication. It will culminate in a scenario matrix and Automation Workforce Readiness Checklist that help agencies assess automation before pilot testing or deployment.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 18 Sep 2026 10:34:51 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2780207</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Enhancing Transportation Policy and Planning for Safety</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778221</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Transportation policy studies and improved planning are essential for furthering goals of the University Transportation Centers and the US Department of Transportation.  This project is intended to build upon long-standing and successful activities in these areas.  Three tasks are envisioned.  
First, the research team will continue to produce policy briefs and professional papers on safety and enhancing usage of battery electric vehicles (BEV).  In their 2024-2025 Safety21 project, a forthcoming policy brief and papers were developed on light duty BEV safety and policies to enhance adoption of BEV (Naiek 2024, Harper 2024, Hendrickson 2025).  Safety concerns addressed included BEV fires, vehicle weight and stopping distance.  Enhancing adoption was informed from ownership characteristics compiled from the 2022 National Household Travel Survey and existing purchase subsidies (Wang 2024).  In 2025-2026, the team proposes to extend this work to other vehicle types (notably trucks) and a focus on workforce training, particularly vehicle technicians and first responders to crashes and environmental hazards (such as floods).  BEV have particular needs for avoiding electrical shocks and short circuits.  The team expects to contribute to a series of policy briefs on BEV in the next year.
Second, the team will continue activities intended to promote adoption of effective vehicle automation.  In their 2024-2025 project, the team actively participated in National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) studies on road safety research (NASEM 2024), critical issues in transportation (NASEM 2024), a global Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Societies (CAETS) study on the e-mobility transformation (ICAETS 2024), and an empirical study of partial automation impacts.  The weekly Safety21 Smart Transportation Dispatch (produced by project participant Karen Lightman) features safety improvements due to new technologies.  In the coming year, the team plans to actively comment on proposed federal and state rules regarding automation, respond to requests for information, and track performance of partial automation vehicles in a policy brief.  This coming year has several likely rule-making activities, potential vehicle manufacturer announcements on partial automation, examination of the TESLA driving system, and possible implementation of the NASEM 2024 study recommendations.  Monitoring and influencing these changes is a challenging task.
Third, project participants will continue to work with Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC) in the planning for Pennsylvania Safety Transportation and Research Track (PennSTART), a safety, training and research facility for autonomous vehicle testing and emergency responders.  The results of both tasks 1 and 2 can help inform appropriate test scenarios for PennSTART.
PennSTART capital expenditures will be used for project match.  Carnegie Mellon researchers include Chris Hendrickson (Hamerschlag University Professor of Engineering Emeritus), Corey Harper (Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering), and Karen Lightman (Executive Director of Safety21 UTC).  
Full references appear in a supplemental information document due to space limitations here.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 17 Sep 2026 14:00:59 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2778221</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Infrastructure Asset Management Academy (IAMA) for Engineers and Planners</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2692314</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Spanning millions of miles, the United States is home to a vast public roadway network that is relied on every day to connect a growing population with jobs, communities, essential services, and goods. Over time this critical transportation network has aged, and now a significant portion of U.S. roads are in poor or mediocre condition. Previous federal legislation has recognized the need for investment in American roads and bridges, including mandating that state agencies develop and implement Transportation Asset Management Plans. During the last decade, significant progress has been made. However, the complexity and scale of managing modern transportation networks require specialized knowledge that expands into disciplines beyond traditional engineering. Today’s asset owners must also manage and analyze large amounts of data, consider lifecycle and economic costs, develop risk management programs, and strategically deploy maintenance activities and capital investments to ensure long-term performance. The goal of this project is to train today’s asset managers in these key areas and provide them with the knowledge and tools needed to make informed decisions that can extend the service life, improve durability, and minimize the risk to their assets. CAIT’s Infrastructure Asset Management Academy is a 4-course program that brings expert speakers together to enable state DOTs and their staff to utilize emerging asset management technologies; better collect, manage, and integrate large amounts of data; break down organizational silos; and ultimately implement a risk-based, data-driven asset management program that can extend the service life of their infrastructure.   ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:40:02 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2692314</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Smart Transportation Workshop for Workforce Development Empowering AI
and IoT Technologies</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2696931</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project enhances the integration of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) into the modern transportation sector and the education sector. It represents a fusion of research, education, and workforce development, focusing on how advanced technologies can address real world challenges in transportation systems. From the research side, this project will guide students to conduct research on applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) to solve practical transportation problems. Such as developing lightweight predictive real-time AI framework for smart city developing that utilizes low resolution IoT sensor data from drones and self-driving cars. This framework can be applied to construction and maintenance planning, infrastructure health monitoring, and traffic pattern optimization. Another research topic focus is enhancing AI robustness with low quality and uncertain IoT sensor data. This part of the research will develop methods to improve the resilience of AI frameworks against unreliable or noisy sensor inputs and will improve model robustness in autonomous systems (such as self-driving cars, AI-powered monitor systems) under adverse conditions such as heavy rain or when sensors are faulty or inaccurate. From the education and workforce development (EWD) side, this project will also hold annual workshops and seminars that provide hands on training and experiences for students to apply emerging technology in the transportation sector. It will also develop new interdisciplinary education models that integrate computer science and civil engineering with emerging technologies and transportation applications, addressing a gap that currently exists in undergraduate education. Overall, the project will produce state of the art research contributions in AI and IoT enabled transportation. It will provide practical training through workshops, seminars, and hands on projects. It will
Smart Transportation Workshop for Workforce Development Empowering AI
and IoT Technologies create interdisciplinary education models that bridge emerging technologies and transportation engineering. It will strengthen the workforce pipeline prepared to apply AI and IoT in transportation innovation.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:33:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2696931</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Advancing Inspector Development Programs Using Digital Technologies and
Effective Recruitment and Retention Strategies</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2696934</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Workforce shortage is a serious problem in the construction industry. Particularly, the significant lack of qualified inspectors is well known in the highway construction sector, and it poses a serious threat to delivering construction and maintenance projects with adequate monitoring and inspection for acceptable quality of work. Most DOTs have an inspector development program with training modules. However, these modules are long outdated, and could greatly benefit from modernization using various digital technologies that can significantly enhance the learning experience of trainees. This project aims to collaborate with experienced Texas Deportment inspectors to review and modernize the existing inspector development modules. This modernization will improve training effectiveness and strengthen trainees’ inspection knowledge and skills. A set of updated modules will be developed and tested in real training sessions. In addition, effective strategies and methods to recruit and retain inspectors will be developed and delivered at the conclusion of this project. Enhancing inspector development programs and effective recruitment and retention strategies will result in higher-quality construction inspections, ultimately extending the lifespan of transportation infrastructure.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:30:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2696934</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Preparing the Airport Workforce for Emerging Technologies and Data-Informed Decision Making</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2772531</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Airports are operating in an increasingly complex environment driven by rapid technological change, expanding data availability, evolving safety expectations, and growing operational demands. At the same time, airports continue to face workforce challenges, including retirements, competition for skilled labor, recruitment and retention issues, and the loss of institutional knowledge. Although airports collect increasing amounts of workforce and operational data, these data often remain fragmented across separate systems, limiting their ability to align workforce capabilities and staffing decisions with operational needs and the adoption of emerging technologies.

The objective of this research is to develop practical guidance, tools, and implementation resources that help airports modernize workforce development while improving data-informed workforce decision-making. The research will produce an airport workforce framework, role-based training pathways, guidance for integrating workforce and operational data, and implementation resources that airports of varying size and complexity can use to strengthen workforce capabilities, support staffing and operational decisions, and complement existing workforce research while minimizing duplication.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 10:02:54 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2772531</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Safety Academy Phase II: Refinement, Deployment Planning, and Evaluation</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2768422</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Researchers previously developed a Safety Academy that addresses inconsistencies in safety knowledge across Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Districts as well as the disconnect between mid-level management and the employee safety and health program. Course modules have been piloted, however, early deliveries of the training revealed aspects of the curriculum that need refinement before agencywide deployment. Currently, KYTC lacks a structured deployment plan and the internal capacity to sustain the Safety Academy long term. Addition-ally, an evaluation framework should be developed to measure the academy's effectiveness in improving safety knowledge, managerial engagement, and workplace safety outcomes.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 17:04:26 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2768422</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of Bridge Preventive Maintenance Training</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2768416</link>
      <description><![CDATA[On suburban and urban roadways, recurring traffic congestion increases delays, makes travel times unreliable, and results in more crashes. Traditional capacity improvement projects involving roadway widening or bypasses may take several years to design, fund, and build, and in the long?term may increase travel demand for the corridor. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has begun a highly successful Operational Improvement Program to rapidly identify and address these needs. The program looks for quick fix solutions with lower costs (typically less than $1 million), such as turn lane extensions, minor ITS deployments, and restriping. Projects are sought which have near?term implementation schedules of less than one year.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 17:04:24 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2768416</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Improve the Approach to Measuring Highway Criticality</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2768415</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Preventive maintenance is critical for extending bridge service lives, reducing life cycle costs, and improving bridge performance. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KTC) researchers have identified preventive maintenance activities that should be prioritized and which require improved consistency, documentation, and workforce training across Kentucky. While technical guidance describing how to perform these activities is available, a clear need exists for a structured, hands-on training that presents this information in a uniform manner. KTC’s Technology Transfer (T2) Program specializes in proven techniques for conducting applied transportation training. Coordinating the development and delivery of bridge preventive maintenance training through T2 will promote effective knowledge transfer and long-term adoption of best practices by KYTC and local agency personnel.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 17:04:23 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2768415</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title> 
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU): Smart Cities Supplement Summer 2027
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2762047</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Since 2020, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) has hosted an NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site on Smart Cities focused on advanced mobility technologies, including Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. The program attracts more than 100 applicants annually and has trained over 45 students, producing more than one peer-reviewed publication per summer. This project supplements the existing site to support two additional undergraduate researchers working on Research and Education for Promoting Safety University Transportation Center (REPS UTC) safety-related projects.
The project will recruit two undergraduate students from relevant disciplines (electrical and computer engineering, civil engineering, computer science), with emphasis on outreach to institutions with varied student populations. Selected students will complete a ten-week summer research experience under faculty mentorship across the ITS, CAV, and V2X focus areas, complemented by co-curricular training including weekly cohort meetings, enrichment activities, and cohort-building. Key tasks include developing compelling safety research projects with UNLV mentors, national advertising and recruitment, candidate evaluation and selection, mentored summer research, and final reporting through the UNLV Undergraduate Research Symposium and academic publication venues.
Expected outcomes include expanded undergraduate participation in transportation safety research, student projects aligned with REPS UTC initiatives, student reports, presentations, and potential peer-reviewed publications. The project strengthens the pipeline of future transportation professionals and UNLV's research infrastructure in traffic safety, helping develop the next generation of researchers and practitioners equipped to address emerging safety challenges in transportation systems.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 15:59:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2762047</guid>
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