Construction of load-carrying geosynthetic-reinforced bridge abutments are surging worldwide. The design directly supports the load of bridge girders without the need of deep foundation. TRB is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, May 26, 2020 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM Eastern that will provide an overview, comparison, and discussion of methodologies used in the design of such bridge abutments. They have the potential of alleviating the “bump at the bridge,” expediting construction, and requiring comparatively smal...

TRB released a straight-to-recording series in April that presents highlights and findings of the NCHRP Domestic Scan 16-02 on Landscape Design Practices for Roadside Water Management . This scan investigated how transportation agencies are applying principles and practices of green infrastructure (GI) for roadside water management to mitigate adverse impacts of flooding, drought, and temperature extremes affecting their infrastructure. The videos are available on-demand at no charge. Presenters: Garrett...

Collaborative Infrastructure Procurement in Sweden and the Netherlands , released by the International Transport Forum

The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS): Waiver Authority and Modification of Volumes , released by the U.S. Congressional Research Service

The Federal Highway Administration's “Buy America Act” requires federally funded highway projects to use only steel, iron, and manufactured products produced in the United States. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP LRD 80: Buy America Requirements for Federal Highway Projects summarizes the intent and application of the provision. It also summarizes the procedure that FHWA has implemented for granting waivers and the impact that court interpretation of such waivers has had on t...

TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Legal Research Digest 16: Procurement of Airport Development and Planning Contracts provides guidance on how to determine which requirements apply to any given procurement process. The report also includes an overview of the consequences for noncompliance with procurement laws or regulations in order to help airports better understand the inherent risks associated with various funding sources.

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...

Ammo.com sent me some data on the recent spike in Ammo Sales. we first noticed a 54% sales increase on February 23, as the search term “coronavirus” started to gain traction, according to Google Trends…. When comparing 22 days worth … Continue reading →

Hello Internet! In This Episode: Erin and Weer’d discuss the increasing desperation of anti-gunners as they react to mass firearm purchases by Americans of all walks of life; Weer’d fisks a stand-up routine by Steve Hofstetter; David tells us how … Continue reading →

The National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Web-Only Document 272: Existing and Emerging Highway Infrastructure Preservation, Maintenance, and Renewal Definitions, Practices, and Scenarios provides appendices to NCHRP Report 750, Volume 7: Preservation, Maintenance, andRenewal of Highway Infrastructure .

MSE Junior Katie Daehn talks about her summer research internship in Germany. Having lived in Columbus my whole life, living in Germany for 12 weeks with a DAAD RISE scholarship was a hugechance for growth, both technically and personally. I left everything that was comfortable and familiar and headed on my own to Jena, Germany […]

Reporting from Wichita is MSE junior Rachel who tells us about her summer internship working with Cessna Aircraft . I am doing a materials internship this summer in Wichita, Kansas at Cessna Aircraft (now part of Textron Aviation), in the metals group of the Materials and Processes Engineering division.  My internship requires me to inspect returned parts […]

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) has issued a request for proposals to develop a guide for public transportation agencies and concerned stakeholders on effective approaches and best practices that are responsive to people who are experiencing homelessness. This project is intended to help public transportation agencies preserve the quality of their services and facilities, while respecting the rights and mobility needs of people experiencing homelessness, including the need for safe plac...

Fostering Multimodal Connectivity Newsletter for April 2020 , released by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration

The Effects of Left-Turn Traffic-Calming Treatments on Conflicts and Speeds in Washington, D.C. , released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Guide to Traffic Management: Set , released by Austroads

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...

Research problem statements are now being accepted for the FY 2021 Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP). To submit a problem statement, first review and follow  the format in this outline . Problem statements may be submitted electronically . Previously submitted proposals may be resubmitted. The deadline for consideration is June 19, 2020.   TCRP is managed by TRB and sponsored by the U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA). TCRP works in partnership with the American Public Transport...

This episode originally aired on April 24, 2020. Ohio’s unemployment rate has reached 11.6% due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 10th worst in the nation. Laid-off workers should be on the lookout for scams and schemes trying to swindle away unemployment benefits and federal stimulus checks.

This episode originally aired on April 24, 2020. Ohio’s unemployment rate has reached 11.6% due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 10th worst in the nation. Laid-off workers should be on the lookout for scams and schemes trying to swindle away unemployment benefits and federal stimulus checks.

In the Columbus City Schools, Ohio's largest school district, 62% of students have the required technology to learn online. The district is not alone. Schools around the state are on the hunt for online resources to close the gap -- and turning to corporate America and the public for help.

As all aspects of transportation deal with the unfolding effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are research needs, gaps, and potential ways to leverage innovation revealing themselves across all modes, systems, and disciplines in transportation. In keeping with the mission of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide trusted, timely, impartial, and evidence-based information exchange and research, TRB is issuing an urgent and directed call for Research Needs Statements sp...

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.

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...

Within the academic aviation world, good textbooks can be hard to come by. Not only do few aviation textbook publishers exist, but the aviation industry is constantly changing. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's latest Impacts on Practice brief, ACRP in the Classroom: Reimagining the Textbook at the University of North Dakota Department of Aviation , details how Dr. Kim Kenville uses ACRP Research Report 16, Second Edition: Guidebook for Managing Small Airports , in her classes. “This publica...

How do transportation agencies apply principles of green infrastructure (GI) to roadside water management? TRB is hosting a webinar on Monday, May 18, 2020 from 2:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern that aims to answer this question. Presenters will identify how GI may be used to mitigate impacts of flooding, drought, and temperature extremes that affect infrastructure. This webinar draws on research from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Domestic Scan Program 16-02: Leading Landscape Design Pr...

Demand-responsive transportation (DRT) can produce benefits — fewer empty seats, lower cost per passenger, less delay for customers — to both passengers and transportation service providers, particularly the public and private nonprofit agencies that finance DRT services with public funds. The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Research Report 210: Development of Transactional Data Specifications for Demand-Responsive Transportation presents a transactional data specification for DRT to faci...

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...

TRB's Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 150: NextGen for Airports, A Primer broadly address potential airport impacts and include background information so that airport personnel can discern which NextGen programs will impact them and how. View the suite of materials related to ACRP Report 150: NextGen for Airports: Volume 1 : Understanding the Airport’s Role in Performance-Based Navigation: Resource Guide Volume 2 : Engaging Airport Stakeholders: Guidebook Volume 3 : Resources for Airpo...

TRB's Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Research Report 155: Guidebook for Advanced Computerized Maintenance Management System Integration at Airports explores the use of a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) to manage a variety of assets across a number of different airport systems. This report develops guidance on the steps necessary to implement a CMMS, factors for consideration in prioritizing which systems should be included in the CMMS using a phased approach, and the steps ...

TRB's Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Research Report 191: A Primer to Prepare for the Connected Airport and the Internet of Things introduces the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) within the airport environment to leverage current and emerging technologies. IoT can be used to provide information and services to airport passengers with current and evolving technologies. Airports, airlines, and other stakeholders can use these innovative technologies and data to enhance the user exp...

“Pavement condition data” are essential inputs to the process of managing airport pavements and ensuring safe operations. The technology available today to collect pavement condition data is considerably different from that available even 20 years ago, and new technologies are being developed and introduced into practice at a rapid pace. ACRP Research Report 203: Guidelines for Collecting, Applying, and Maintaining Pavement Condition Data at Airports provides guidance on the collection, use, maintenance,...

As a reliever airport for the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport must keep track of information for nearly 300,000 aircraft operations and 1.4 million passengers a year. To meet this challenge, the airport developed an innovative, digitally connected solution with the help of ACRP Research Report 182: Guidancefor Planning, Design, and Operationsof Airport Communications Centers . The TRB Airport Cooperartive Research Program's ACRP Impacts on Practice 182: Redesigning ...

Airports must maintain a safe and efficient facility while considering environmental impacts. Though traditional environmental challenges such as noise and water quality remain, several new themes are emerging, including energy management, sustainability, resiliency, and wildlife management. Airports will need guidelines and practices to help them address these pressing issues, and the first step in the process is to identify knowledge gaps and research needs. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program...