What's New in Materials

Take a test ride in an autonomous shuttle, see a prototype of an automated passenger car, and learn more about the principles behind U.S. DOT’s Automated Vehicles 3.0 initiative at the TRB Connected and Automated Vehicle Showcase, which will be located in the exhibit hall during the 98th TRB Annual Meeting.   While you are in the exhibit hall, visit the TRB booth to get your complimen...

TRB is sponsoring the First International Conference on 3D Printing and Transportation on November 20-21, 2019 in Washington, DC. The objective of this conference is to share knowledge and information on how 3D printing in construction and manufacturing is impacting the transportation industry, including impacts on freight, air, marine, rail, space explorations, energy efficiency & sustaina...

Download the TRB Annual Meeting mobile app , supported by the PTV Group, prior to arriving at the 98th TRB Annual Meeting, January 13-17, 2019, in Washington, D.C. To download the app, search “TRB 2019” in the App Store or Google Play. When opening the app for the first time, enter the same email address used to register for the Annual Meeting. The app provides registered attendees with the abi...

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has released a report that addresses geogrid reinforced aggregate base at lower strains to better understand the aggregate-geogrid interaction. The geogrid provides lateral restraint to the aggregate base as a result of interlocking and friction between the geogrid and the aggregate particles.

The Illinois Center for Transportation at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has released a report that evaluates effective and durable pavement surface treatments (PSTs) suitable for implementation at Illinois Department of Transportation ice-prone locations. PSTs used alone or in combination with other strategies may have promise as alternatives of chemicals for snow and ice contr...

The Virginia Department of Transportation has released a report that evaluates a joint system in which elastomeric concrete material acts as the load-bearing surface and the component that allows free expansion and contraction. Expansion joints are important components of bridges that accommodate the movements between deck spans that result from thermal loads, traffic loads, and other environme...

The Illinois Center for Transportation at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has released a report that analyzes alternative noise barriers. Current Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) specify that noise barriers can be constructed of earth, masonry, concrete, and composite materials. The objective of this report is to develop recommendations that provide guidance to IDOT o...

Live Webcast Event : December 6, 2018 at 11:00 AM EST TRB Special Report 329: Renewing the National Commitment to the Interstate Highway System: A Foundation for the Future explores pending and future federal investment and policy decisions concerning the federal Interstate Highway System. Congress asked the committee to make recommendations on the “features, standards, capacity needs, applica...

TRB is offering a variety of curated programs of sample Annual Meeting sessions, as guides for attendees who have specific interests. Newcomers to the TRB Annual Meeting, or those just looking for suggestions for navigating nearly 800 sessions and workshops on virtually every aspect of transportation, may find these charts helpful in deciding how to make the best use of their time at the meetin...

TRB's second annual Careers in Motion Networking Fair takes place on January 13, 2019 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, during the 2019 TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The event provides an opportunity for prospective employers from a wide range of sectors and modes to meet with transportation professionals interested in working for their organizatio...

TRB released a recording in November 2018 that identifies potential ways to adapt former aggregate pits and quarries for beneficial re-use, including for entertainment, environmental enhancement, and development purposes. Aggregates are the chief component of almost all transportation infrastructure, but their extraction leaves large holes in the forms of quarries and pits. The presenters will ...

Register and make hotel reservations today for the TRB 98th Annual Meeting, January 13-17, 2019, in Washington, D.C. Early Bird Registration rates end November 30, 2018. 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. Full Registration also includes full access to: *A...

TRB is about $3,000 away from meeting its goal of securing $20,000 by Giving Tuesday, November 27.  Funding raised will be used to help support various activities being developed to commemorate TRB's centennial--November 11, 2020. Contributing to the Century Club ensures that you are linked with TRB forever through the inclusion of your name in the TRB 100 Year History book that will be av...

The full edition of the July–August 2018 TR News is now available. This edition examines 20 years of research and TRB activities on alternative contracting methods (ACM) and success stories from implementing research innovations. Explored are pioneering tools and contracting techniques used by state departments of transportation such as Georgia and Colorado, along with tested project delivery m...

Austroads has released a report that describes methods for determining the flexural modulus, strength, and fatigue characteristics of laboratory manufactured cemented materials. This report focuses on four point bending techniques. It is available for no fee after logging onto the site.

The Virginia Department of Transportation has released a report that evaluates the performance of a joint system with bonded and debonded zones. In this flexible joint system, an elastomeric concrete material acts as the load-bearing surface and allows free expansion and contraction. This report focuses on the installation of these joint systems in selected pilot bridges on secondary roads.

TRB has released a prepublication version of Critical Issues in Transportation 2018. In this report, which is updated periodically by the TRB Executive Committee, a series of challenging questions are posed to explore issues and opportunities that may arise 10 to 20 years into the future. These questions, 63 in all, have been organized into 12 topic areas and provide a way to frame future areas...

TRB's Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) latest Impacts on Practice explores the impact ACRP Synthesis 39 : Airport Wildlife Population Management has had on integrated wildlife management plans at airports. A wildlife biologist at Orlando International Airport utilized this report to develop a holistic approach to mitigating bird strikes with a specific species of heron that thrives i...

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. Activities to commemorate the Centennial Anniversary include a website, brochu...

TRB conducted a webinar on Monday, November 19, 2018, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM ET that discussed available methods for measuring moisture infiltration into pavements. Presenters described a universal method for measuring water infiltration into multiple types of in-place asphalt pavement surfaces. They also discussed novel materials, design, and/or construction practices that may minimize moistu...

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has released a report that determines the potential of low- to non-nuclear devices with little to no radioactive footprint. This report seeks to replace the nuclear density gauge (NDG) and roadway coring for asphalt and soils quality assurance operations in Louisiana. Using nuclear technology in NDGs requires extensive certifications an...

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Research Report 890: Using Recycled Asphalt Shingles with Warm Mix Asphalt Technologies documents the development of a design and evaluation procedure that provides acceptable performance of asphalt mixtures incorporating warm mix asphalt (WMA) technologies and recycled asphalt shingles (RAS)—with and without recycled asphalt pave...

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Web-Only Document 257: A Mechanistic–Empirical Model for Top–Down Cracking of Asphalt Pavements Layers develops a calibrated mechanistic-empirical (ME) model for predicting the load-related top-down cracking in the asphalt layer of flexible pavements. Recent studies have determined that some load-related fatigue cracks in asphalt pavem...

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) has released a request for proposals to construct and evaluate field exposure blocks with varying concrete materials placed in diverse environmental conditions. Proposals are due December 18, 2018.

TRB will conduct a webinar on Monday, November 12, 2018 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM ET and Wednesday, December 12, 2018 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM ET that will help both new and returning Annual Meeting attendees get the most out of their meeting experience. The webinar will review issues related to planning for the meeting, including hotel reservations, airline reservations, and other basics; help at...

The Interactive Program for the 98th TRB Annual Meeting, January 13-17, 2019, in Washington, D.C. is now available. This helpful online tool enables you to navigate through some 5,000 presentations in more than 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, p...

The Florida Department of Transportation has released a report that describes the design and data analysis regarding the nitrogen removal effectiveness of a linear ditch. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection regulates the introduction of nitrogen into groundwater and surface water from stormwater runoff and agricultural discharge. However, there is a cost and space limitation adja...

The Center for Transportation Research at the University of Texas at Austin has released a report that evaluates a number of different nanomaterials in terms of their ability to improve the high-temperature properties of asphalt binders. This report identifies the nanomaterials’ ability to disperse effectively in the asphalt binder, analyzes their effects in terms of high-, intermediate-, and l...

The Center for Transportation Research at the University of Texas at Austin has released a report that determines the stability of precast concrete panels (PCPs) that rest on polystyrene bedding strips. PCPs are commonly used as stay-in-place formwork for straight bridges, but are not used on horizontally curved girder systems in Texas. The Texas Department of Transportation is looking at exten...

Register and make hotel reservations today for the TRB 98th Annual Meeting, January 13-17, 2019, 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. Full Registration also includes full access to: *Annual Meeting Interactive Program (available in Novem...