The Texas Department of Transportation had a rare opportunity to investigate how pavement type affects the quality of stormwater runoff, something that is often difficult to address in the limited space available in highway rights-of-way. The research showed that roadways paved with permeable friction course/open-graded friction course (PFC/OGFC) produced runoff with substantially reduced concentrations of solids, phosphorus, and metals compared with conventional pavement. The findings are detailed in a ...

Faced with ever-increasing regulatory scrutiny and a realization that traditional stormwater management approaches largely were ineffective in a transportation setting, stormwater professionals at the Alabama Department of Transportation (DOT) began to explore approaches that were outside of those prescribed by regulation and existing guidance materials. Based on these experiences, the Alabama DOT developed and implemented a new, fundamental approach for managing construction stormwater, which are detail...

The Alabama Department of Transportation (DOT) incorporated post-construction stormwater management design into the overall roadway design process. The Texas DOT developed the approval process for products used in the construction of a roadway to promote vegetation. And the Virginia DOT improved the management of data associated with stormwater infrastructure best management practices to effectively focus maintenance efforts. In a feature article in TR News magazine, Number 328, July-August 2020, the aut...

The July-August 2020 issue of TR News —with a focus on stormwater—is available in hard copy and digital copy for subscribers. For those who are not subscribers, the table of contents is available. Feature articles in the issue include "Integrating Stormwater Infrastructure into State Department of Transportation Processes," "Transportation Perspective on Virginia’s Nonpoint Source Nutrient Credit Program," "Five Pillars of Construction Stormwater Management," and much more. This is Issue 328.

Issue 326 of TRB's magazine dives into details from the TRB 99th Annual Meeting, which had a record crowd of nearly 14,000 attendees gathered January 12–16, 2020, in Washington, D.C. The March–April 2020 TR News features photo highlights from the Annual Meeting along with more coverage of the conference. TR News is TRB's bimonthly magazine featuring timely articles on innovative and state-of-the-art research and practice in all modes of transportation. It also includes brief news items of interest to the...

The May–June 2020 issue of TR News is a special edition illuminating the many hidden aspects of tunnels as well as the benefits of tunnel technology to modern transportation systems. Articles highlight the contribution of tunnels to the economy and how transportation operators use the best technology to keep tunnels efficient and safe.

In Europe, public transportation plays a greater role in serving the public than it does in the U.S. and Canada. It generally is widely acknowledged in Europe that transit agencies should lead the integration of urban and regional transportation options. In North America, there is more work to be done in convincing local decision makers that the transit agency should be at the center of a Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS)-oriented system and in ensuring that agencies are prepared to do so. These are among the...

It was advocacy by people—often riders of rural transit who brought issues of equity before Congress in the early 1970s—that resulted in dedicated federal funding. Today, researchers, policymakers, and politicians explore rural and urban equity issues, and the need for transit funding of all types remains paramount. This is the subject of a feature in TR News magazine, Number 325, January-February 2020.

The increasing incidence of wildfires, especially in the western half of the United States, poses many challenges to communities. Along with needs related to aspects of the environment, rebuilding communities, public health, and emergency preparedness, addressing transportation and infrastructure-related issues is key to helping to prevent future wildfires, fighting them while they are happening, and rebuilding communities and people’s lives after the fires. This is the subject of a feature in TR News ma...

Issue Number 326 of TR News magazine is available in full to subscribers. Here is a sample from the issue: a feature article on the trap that drivers could fall into by believing that autonomous vehicles are more capable than they really are. As with traditional driving instruction, a solid understanding of the concepts of automation is important—not just knowing which buttons to press.