What's New in History

In 1863 the National Academy of Sciences, TRB's parent organization, took on two studies on ironclad ships.  The Academies' presence in the marine industry remains strong to this day as detailed in part by TRB's Marine Group Centennial Paper - Advancing Knowledge of the Marine Transportation System.  As part of TRB's Centennial Celebration, the Technical Activities Council invited all...

Act now to secure your exhibit space at the 2020 TRB Annual Meeting, January 12-16, 2020, in Washington, D.C. All indications are that attendance at the meeting will be the largest ever. Don't miss this opportunity to demonstrate your organization's support for transportation research and innovation, and to showcase your products and services to more than 13,000 transportation professionals. So...

TRB turns 100 on November 11, 2020. You are invited to join your colleagues listed below who have contributed to the TRB Century Club to support activities that will mark the anniversary; promote the value of transportation research; and celebrate the achievements of TRB’s volunteers, sponsors, affiliates, and staff. Details on the Century Club and a link to contribute is available at https://...

Be a part of TRB history! All 2020 Annual Meeting attendees are invited to participate in a group photo to celebrate TRB’s centennial. Come to Ballroom C in the convention center on Sunday, at 1:00 p.m., and the photo will be taken promptly at 1:15 p.m. Space in the ballroom is limited to about 2,000 and attendees will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. Register and make hotel res...

TRB officially turns 100 on November 11, 2020. To help celebrate the centennial TRB is asking you to “Tell Us ‘Our’ Story.” The TRB “Tell Us ‘Our’ Story" centennial activity is designed to allow as many of you (TRB’s volunteers and friends) as possible to participate in the TRB Centennial Celebration through the submission of your stories, which are our stories. The “Tell Us ‘Our” Story” cente...

Before the mid-1970s, publicly-supported transportation services open to the general public were rarely available in rural communities. In TRB's Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation Committee's Centennial Paper, learn how over the last five decades, TRB’s Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation Committee and its members have helped document, research, and share through regular co...

The TRB “Tell Us ‘Our’ Story centennial activity is designed to allow as many of you (TRB’s volunteers and friends) as possible to participate in the TRB Centennial Celebration through the submission of your stories. The “Tell Us ‘Our” Story” Centennial activity consists of a series of monthly questions that will help capture your stories. According to Vesa Mannisto, Senior Advisor, Finnish Tr...

Looking for some suggestions for navigating the nearly 800 sessions at the TRB Annual Meeting? Here is our “curated” sampling of available sessions . They are not meant to imply that the sessions listed are more worthwhile than others, but we hope these curated programs help you build your personal schedule - whether you're interested in autonomous vehicles, shared mobility, equity, governance,...

After winning the U.S. award, a TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program project is taking home the 2019 International Research Award for NCHRP Research Report 905: Measuring the Effectiveness of Public Involvement in Transportation Planning and Project Development  in the 2019 International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Core Values Awards. The awards were announced ...

Although joining TRB only in 1999, today’s Marine Board has its roots in the late 1940s, and it builds on a legacy of maritime research that dates back to 1863 and the founding of the National Academy of Sciences. As part of the Centennial Celebration, TRB has initiated the History Highlights series that will regularly release stories that highlight the events and people that helped shape TRB d...

Register and make hotel reservations today for the TRB 99th Annual Meeting, January 12-16, 2020, in Washington, D.C. Registration is required for all Annual Meeting attendees, including session speakers, poster presenters, and those who attend the exhibit hall, career fair, or any workshops. Discounted registration fees end November 30, 2019. As part of TRB's Centennial Celebration, all full r...

It doesn’t take a long drive to realize how badly the interstate highway system has aged. Norman Augustine spearheaded a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine study on how the federal government can deal with old and, in some cases, obsolete roads. The former Lockheed Martin chairman and CEO joined the Federal Drive radio show with host Tom Temin for highlights of the findings.

How does our profession engage the affected community in the decision-making process for their transportation system in a comprehensive, equitable, and accessible manner and provide meaningful input that informs transportation decision-making? Read about past, present, and future efforts by the Technical Committee on Public Involvement in Transportation Decision Making to address this question ...

For some 70 years, the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) has presented tools for quickly evaluating and comparing the operational effects of alternative design scenarios, allowing analysists to screen a variety of approaches, and select a reasonable number before considering more costly measures. Learn about the history of the HCM--TRB's "Best Seller." As part of the Centennial Celebration, TRB has...

As the Transportation Research Board (TRB) reaches its centennial and the Standing Committee on the Conduct of Research (COR) reaches its 51st year in the third decade of the 21st century, the committee is are provided with an opportunity to reflect on the history, the current state, and the future of transportation research and the role of COR. Learn more about the history and accomplishments ...

The Interactive Program for the 99th TRB Annual Meeting, January 12-16, 2020, in Washington, D.C. is now available. This helpful online tool enables you to navigate through some 5,000 presentations in nearly 800 transportation-related sessions at the meeting. The Interactive Program contains the full schedule of sessions, workshops, and committee meetings. It includes titles, dates, times, pres...

The TRB “Tell Us ‘Our’ Story centennial activity is designed to allow as many of you (TRB’s volunteers and friends) as possible to participate in the TRB Centennial Celebration through the submission of your stories. The “Tell Us ‘Our” Story” Centennial activity consists of a series of monthly questions that will help capture your stories. According to Francine Shaw-Whitson, Senior Advisor...

December 8, 1921 -- Be it resolved that the American Association of State Highway Officials welcomes the establishment by the National Research Council of the Advisory Board on Highway Research, and that the Association pledges its support to the Advisory Board in this much-needed effort to stimulate and coordinate highway research.  Learn about the fruits of a partnership that started alm...

TRB turns 100 on November 11, 2020.  As part of TRB's Centennial Celebration, all full registrants attending the 2020 Annual Meeting will be eligible to pick up a complimentary copy of the book, The Transportation Research Board, 1920–2020: Everyone Interested Is Invited by Sarah Jo Peterson, which chronicles the important events, people, and successes that helped make TRB what it is today...

Paratransit services emerged as a distinct transportation mode in the late 1960s and 1970s. These services were implemented in a variety of communities, providing flexibly scheduled service to the general public. TRB recognized this new service with formation of a committee in 1974 to address the new mode—designated then as the “Urban Transport Service Innovations Committee.” Renaming came five...

Interested in having a TRB Centennial component as part of a 2020 meeting or event your organization is sponsor? The TRB Centennial Roaming Exhibit is designed to allow organizations to have a TRB Centennial exhibit booth as part of a meeting or event they are hosting during 2020. The booth can be configured for a table top exhibit or for a 10 x 10 to 10 x 20 square foot booth. The booth is not...

AM Online, the repository for TRB Annual Meeting content (a version of which was previously known as the “Compendium of Papers”) is going away, but it is being replaced by a new process that will provide material much more quickly and, ultimately, to a wider audience.  Read  mor e .

Learn how five men from Iowa shaped TRB’s earliest decades with their expertise and commitment to research and how they succeeded in part because Iowa exemplified in the extreme the close relationships between universities and state highway departments during their earliest years. As part of the Centennial Celebration, TRB has initiated the History Highlights series that will regularly release ...

Have fun while you peruse TRB's online timeline with more than 200 milestones that encapsulate the events that shaped TRB as well as the people that purposely designed, carefully constructed, and devotedly maintained the entity that is now TRB. The timeline was developed as part of TRB's Centennial Celebration and produced in part with the help of contributions by individuals and organizations....

Learn about the history of traffic signal systems, and of the shifting interests of the community of researchers interested in them in the Standing Technical Committee on Traffic Signal Systems' Centennial Paper. Over the years, the committee has served as one of the principal forums on signal control and has stimulated many currents in research that have had transformative impact on the indust...

Dr. Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences, has approved appointments for the TRB Executive Committee. Carlos Braceras, Executive Director of the Utah Department of Transportation, will become Chair of the Executive Committee at the completion of the TRB Annual Meeting on January 16, 2020. At the same time, Susan Shaheen, a Professor from the University of California, Berk...

The Cucaracha Slide had first bedeviled the builders of the Panama Canal in 1907. It appeared along the Gaillard (Culebra) Cut that carried the canal through the mountains and over the Continental Divide. A huge break in January 1913 pushed back the canal’s opening to August 1914. Slides continued and dredging struggled to keep pace. A fast-growing island appeared in the canal, eventually forci...

The history and complexity of the US Interstate System is discussed in a recent issue of the podcast “Stuff You Should Know.” The hosts explore issues related to safety and accessibility, and identify administrative aspects of highways, including naming and funding.

Please visit TRB's Centennial website today.   Key parts of the site include the following: • Centennial Papers – Discover TRB’s standing committees’ past accomplishments and contributions to transportation, as well as current relevancy and activities, and consider the committees’ roles in meeting future challenges and opportunities. • History Highlights –Read short articles on major ...

The TRB “Tell Us ‘Our’ Story centennial activity is designed to allow as many of you (TRB’s volunteers and friends) as possible to participate in the TRB Centennial Celebration through the submission of your stories. The “Tell Us ‘Our” Story” Centennial activity consists of a series of monthly questions that will help capture your stories. According to Carol Aldrich, Engineering of Research, Mi...