An important operational characteristic of an airport is the length of its longest runway. The longest runway determines the types of aircraft that can use the airport and dictates the operational limitations at the airport. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Web-Only Document 54: Development of a Small Aircraft Runway Length Analysis Tool provides a user-friendly computer tool to help airport planners and designers estimate runway length requirements for a variety of aircraft and design...

TR News 336: November-December 2021 examines the history of the MnROAD research facility, redesigning transit for the new mobility future, planning and design of airport terminal restrooms and ancillary spaces, understanding systemic risks of railroad hazmat transport, systems engineering for rural connected vehicle corridors, talent for today and tomorrow, and more.

Many technical and institutional issues related to estimating and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) lie across a wide spectrum of the activities undertaken by state departments of transportation (DOTs). The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Web-Only Document 308: Methods for State DOTs to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Transportation Sector documents the research effort for an NCHRP project that focused on developing a guide for state DOTs on reducing GHG emission...

The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Web-Only Document 74: Recent Decline in Public Transportation Ridership: Hypotheses, Methodologies, and Detailed City-by-City Results provides supplemental information to TCRP Research Report 231: Recent Decline in Public Transportation Ridership: Analysis, Causes, and Responses , which delves into exploring ridership losses already being experienced by transit systems prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11), transportation has broadened its role to include response and operations—from traffic incident management as a multiagency function to aviation security. But in the 20 years since 9/11, natural disasters, technology changes, and pandemics have presented new challenges. In TR News 335: September–October 2021 authors address these challenges, as well as how transportation agencies can incorporate resilience to respond quickly and effectively to an ...

The 2021 Annual Report summarizes TRB’s accomplishments in each of its major program areas and how TRB has served the nation and the global transportation professional community throughout the year. TRB provides leadership in transportation improvements and innovation through trusted, timely, impartial, and evidence-based information exchange, research, and advice regarding all modes of transportation. TRB is a program division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). The...

Airport user surveys have traditionally been used to obtain information for facility planning. More recently, however, surveys are being used to measure satisfaction as a way to identify actions that could improve the customer experience and increase non-aeronautical revenues, particularly those from passenger terminal concessions. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Research Report 235: Guidebook for Conducting Airport User Surveys and Other Customer Research provides airport managers a...

In TR News 334: July-August 2021, members of the Marine Board and TRB’s Marine Group standing committees investigate critically important topics for innovation and research in—and transformation of—the marine transportation system to help achieve necessary strides in emissions reduction, automation, big data, and resiliency by 2050.

The theme of TR News 333: May–June 2021 is diversity, equity, and inclusion in transportation and its critical role in a just, fair, and equitable society. Authors highlight TRB’s initiatives addressing DE&I, along with programs within the larger transportation community, from the federal government to states to universities.

Although the need for a more effective set of short- and long-term transportation resilience strategies is increasingly obvious and urgent, many knowledge gaps and institutional barriers still exist. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Research Report 975: Transportation System Resilience: Research Roadmap and White Papers highlights significant knowledge gaps within AASHTO and state departments of transportation, presents a 5-year research plan that addresses these gaps, and di...