Five different business models for mobile fare payment apps are examined, as the world of apps used by transit agencies in the United States and Canada continues to steadily grow. The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Synthesis 148: Business Models for Mobile Fare Apps documents current practices and experiences of transit agencies that offer mobile fare payment applications to transit riders. The report includes case examples from six cities: Santa Monica, Denver, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, ...

TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Legal Research Digest 14: Achieving Airport-Compatible Land Uses and Minimizing Hazardous Obstructions in Navigable Airspace discusses airport-compatible land-use requirements, the legal issues related to achieving airport compatible land use, and legal issues particular to eliminating hazardous obstructions to airspace. The report also includes a review of some of the major legal issues of concern in achieving airport-compatible land use.

TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 106: Being Prepared for IROPS: A Business-Planning and Decision-Making Approach describes a process to help justify airport planning, and funding decisions (capital, and operations and maintenance) related to supporting irregular operations (IROPS) contingency planning. The report presents a structured approach to quantifying the lifecycle economic value of proposed IROPS mitigation alternatives through a spreadsheet-based business-planning and dec...

TRB’s Conference Proceedings on the Web 24: Challenges to Implementing Successful Land Use Strategies at Airports is a compilation of the presentations and a summary of the ensuing discussions at an ACRP Insight Event held April 10-11, 2018, in Washington, D.C. The event brought together airport representatives and community planners to discuss effective strategies for improving their ability to partner on land use issues in the vicinity of airports. ACRP Insight Events convene airport industry leaders a...

TRB’s Conference Proceedings on the Web 24: Challenges to Implementing Successful Land Use Strategies at Airports is a compilation of the presentations and a summary of the ensuing discussions at an ACRP Insight Event held April 10-11, 2018, in Washington, D.C. The event brought together airport representatives and community planners to discuss effective strategies for improving their ability to partner on land use issues in the vicinity of airports. ACRP Insight Events convene airport industry leaders a...

TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Research Report 200: Using GIS for Collaborative Land Use Compatibility Planning Near Airports offers guidance for using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a collaboration tool to encourage compatible land use around airports. The report is designed to help airport and community planners seeking to work together to protect existing and future airport development as well as maintain safety and improve quality of life for those living and working near ...

Incompatible land uses can threaten the safe utility of airports and expose people living and working nearby to potentially unacceptable levels of noise or safety risk. At the state level, all 50 states have enacted some form of airport zoning legislation since the 1950s. The majority of states (90 percent) have enacted laws mandating or enabling local governments to adopt, administer, and enforce airport zoning regulations. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Research Report 206: Guidebo...

Adult On-Road Cyclist Injury in Victoria, 2008/09 to 2017/18: A Report on Ambulance Attendances, Emergency Department Presentations, Hospital Admissions and Deaths , released by Monash University

The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing on May 6, 2020.

Coincidental to TRB's 1982 promotion to a stand-alone unit within the NRC and its acceptance of the responsibility to oversee consensus studies, Congress was working on an update to surface transportation legislation. The timing meant that TRB was not going to be able to ease into its new responsibilities. To learn the whole story, check out the latest release in the TRB History Highlights series. As part of the Centennial Celebration, TRB has initiated the History Highlights series that will regularly r...

This episode originally aired on March 26, 2020. When the coronavirus became a pandemic, people swamped grocery stores wiping out things like toilet paper and hand sanitizer. However, as Ohio's stay-at-home order drags on there is growing concern for the food supply as the supply chain shows signs of stress. In Ohio, which ranks 11th in the country for milk production, the coronavirus has been so disruptive that dairy farmers have had to dump milk that can’t be sold.

Ohioans bought 1.36 million gallons of liquor in March, a nearly 25 percent increase over the same period last year. More of us are leaning on alcohol to beat quarantine doldrums and stress, but experts warn that extended overindulging could make it harder to put down the bottle when the lockdown is lifted.

Across the United States, about 7 million children, or 14 percent of all public school students, receive special education services because of their disabilities. Closed schools mean children lose the aides and therapists who provide daily support, leaving parents and teachers to shoulder multiple challenges.

Today is the day Ohio hospitals can resume nonessential medical procedures that don’t require an overnight hospital stay, which were postponed last month as part of the state’s pandemic response. The Ohio Hospital Association estimates hospitals lose $1.2 billion every month that elective procedures are canceled.

Gov. Mike DeWine included dental offices in the first round of businesses that could reopen on May 1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Dental Association, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have all issued warnings that non-emergency dental procedures should wait for now.

Just as the Columbus real estate market entered its busiest months, COVID-19 struck. The National Association of Realtors reported that pending home sales dropped 20 percent in March. Nationwide, nearly 4 million homeowners have sought mortgage relief and were not paying their mortgage in April.

By early May, more than 270,000 people have died around the world from the disease attributed to the new coronavirus. First identified in Wuhan, China in December, the virus has infected nearly four million worldwide, including well over a million in the U.S., which now lays claim to one in every four deaths.

This episode originally aired on April 30, 2020. Across the United States, about 7 million children, or 14 percent of all public school students, receive special education services because of their disabilities. Closed schools mean children lose the aides and therapists who provide daily support, leaving parents and teachers to shoulder multiple challenges.

TRB's “Tell Us ‘Our’ Story" challenge is now looking into the future. What impact do you hope to have on the world and how is the Transportation Research Board helping you make that impact? What is your vision for the Transportation Research Board 100 years from now? What are solutions that you have identified as a result of research you learned about through TRB? TRB welcomes all stories: small or large, profound or light-hearted, sobering or humorous. In addition to posting responses to these questions...

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) has issued a request for proposals to develop a comprehensive, evidenced-based guide for bus operator workforce management from pre-employment through retirement. The guide should present both best practices and innovative practices that enhance and sustain public transit and support bus operators who provide fixed-route, flexible-route, and on-demand services. Proposals are due August 11, 2020 at 5:00 PM Eastern.

According to Ken Murray, Sr. Landscape Architect, California Department of Transportation "TRB allows for expanding your influence and connections throughout the transportation world nationally. You're able to connect with fellow peers from different states and share experiences, discuss strategies for difficult situations, and solutions to issues that others may have already handled that you personally are dealing with. It expands your network that allows for more diverse information for other areas tha...

In 2017, when leadership at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) decided to build a new International Arrivals Facility (IAF), they knew they had to leverage airport resources in a cost-effective manner to enhance customer experience. At nearly 50 years old, the existing facility could no longer accommodate Sea-Tac’s demand for international travel, which grew 107 percent from 2007 to 2017. The latest issue of the  TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's (ACRP) Impacts on Practice serie...

Oscar Daniel Galvis Arce, University of Texas at Austin said that "during my teenager years, I always loved to play games where you can build cities. It was fascinating. Then, during my undergrad in Civil Engineering I discovered that designing transportation systems was a real career. I felt motivated by the idea of contributing on people's life because everyone, every day, needs to rely on transportation systems. A portion of our lives goes by on a bus, train, airplane, bike, walking… So, is it possibl...

According to Antoine Gergess, Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Balamand, Labanon "What drew my attention to the transportation community is the urgent need for reconstruction and rehabilitation of transportation systems in the world and specifically in my homeland of Lebanon." Antoine continues to participate in TRB "due to the professional and constructive spirit of people involved, the exposure it gives me and the rich data available for educational, design, and construction purposes." Tha...

TRB has been closely monitoring the evolving situation related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. The health and safety of our volunteers, sponsors, meeting guests, staff, and the greater community are of utmost importance to us. In light of the current situation, we have decided that the event cannot be held as scheduled. Convened by Transportation Research Board, the Sustainability and Emerging Transportation Technology (SETT) Conference was to be held on August 31 – September 2, 2020, at ...

Sixty-eight percent of the states who responded to a survey indicated their agency has a documented process for as-built development. They said handwritten notes were the most commonly used method to capture as-built data (86%), followed by electronic notes (76%), and then photographs (33%). Some states use more than one option to capture as-built data. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Synthesis 548: Development and Use of As-Built Plans by State Departments of Transportation...

As demand for air travel grows, airport-related emissions are increasing and airports are challenged to reduce associated environmental impacts. In response, expanded regulatory programs and global climate protection initiatives are being developed that require the aviation industry—including U.S. airports—to implement new, clean technologies and to modify operational practices to reduce emissions. One effective option for reducing the emissions associated with aircraft auxiliary power units (APUs) and d...

Most general aviation (GA) airports are minimally staffed and rarely employ environmental specialists, and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) can be overwhelming to work through for those not familiar with the requirements. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Research Report 211: Guidance for Using the Interactive Tool for Understanding NEPA at General Aviation Airports , and the accompanying interactive tool that was developed, will help airport staff from GA airports understan...

Most U.S. state departments of transportation (DOTs) are collecting weigh-in-motion data with a wide variety of sensor types and using them in a variety of applications. Many agencies use WIM data to aid in pavement design, although most are not currently using a Pavement ME (mechanistic-empirical) Design application. WIM for bridge and asset management purposes is used much less often. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Synthesis 546: Use of Weigh-in-Motion Data for Pavement, ...

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) has issued a request for proposals to develop a comprehensive, evidenced-based guide for bus operator workforce management from pre-employment through retirement. The guide should present both best practices and innovative practices that enhance and sustain public transit and support bus operators who provide fixed-route, flexible-route, and on-demand services. Proposals are due August 11, 2020 at 5:00 PM Eastern.

A report from the Office of the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Transportation

TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 39: Recommended Guidelines for the Collection and Use of Geospatially Referenced Data for Airfield Pavement Management offers recommended guidelines for the collection and use of geospatially referenced data for airfield pavement management. The guidelines provide a data schema, data collection methods, data quality requirements, and other relevant information required for developing specifications and standards for integrating geospatial data into...

TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 80: Guidebook for Incorporating Sustainability into Traditional Airport Projects describes sustainability and its potential benefits, and identifies different applications of sustainable initiatives in traditional airport construction and everyday maintenance projects. The printed version of the report includes a CD-ROM that includes an airport sustainability assessment tool (ASAT) that complements the guidebook and may be used to assist in identif...

TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Synthesis 47: Repairing and Maintaining Airport Parking Structures While in Use provides information on developing and implementing successful maintenance and repair strategies for in-use airport parking structures that involve the least impact on the airport patrons, revenue stream, and facility operations.

Airports continually balance demands to improve infrastructure within the realities of available budgets. Green revolving funds (GRFs) offer an alternative approach for investing in projects that generate operational savings. These funds work by tracking verified cost reductions from implemented actions, and then transferring those savings to a reserve that provides capital for future qualified projects such as energy system upgrades. A number of universities have managed GRFs for over a decade. Municipa...

With the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic hitting the transportation industry hard, TRB’s catalog of research on infectious disease and other biological threats to people and transportation systems is crucial in helping to advise transportation professionals. Transportation officials must be prepared to know how to minimize the consequences to their communities. In regards to biothreats, a recent National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report suggests that there are advantages to...

Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is a highly flowable, nonsegregating concrete that is placed without any mechanical consolidation. TRB will conduct a webinar on Thursday, June 11, 2020, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Eastern to discuss how SCC may be used to fill heavily congested or irregularly shaped members in bridge applications more easily while providing improved in-place quality and surface finish.The use of SCC may also decrease construction costs due to the reduced labor requirements during construct...