National Cooperative Highway Research Program

During 2015 NCHRP completed 84 research projects, published 62 research products, and approved 61 new and continuation projects. This Annual Report provides a concise list of research published in 2015, all active projects, projects completed in 2015, and projects that were approved in 2015 but not yet under contract. The Annual Report also presents detailed information about the operation of NCHRP through the AASHTO Standing Committee on Research.

An implementation facilitation plan for NCHRP research results was prepared for the AASHTO Standing Committee on Research and approved in December 2015. 

Evaluating Implementation of NCHRP Products: Building on Successful Practices identifies the four key elements to successful implementation: implementation leadership, buy-in, structural support and resources, and ready-to-use products. Ten case studies of selected NCHRP products highlight a range of effective approaches to implementation.

Information on all projects initiated under the NCHRP from its inception in 1962 through 1988 is included in NCHRP Web Document 7: Special Edition of Summary of Progress through 1988.

Unfunded NCHRP problem statements can now be found on AASHTO's Research Program and Project Management site.

• Administration and Management
• Traffic and Safety
• Construction and Materials
• Design 
• Environment, Energy, and Planning
• Maintenance and Preservation 

• Standing Committee on Highways
• Standing Committee on Planning
• Standing Committee on the Environment
• Standing Committee on Public Transportation

• Reports: Reports are the main product of the research project and are often written as guidebooks or manuals.
• Syntheses of Practice: Syntheses report on the state of the practice based on literature reviews and surveys of recent activities about innovations being used by others to solve problems.
• Research Results Digests (RRDs): RRDs are used to promote early awareness of project results in order to encourage implementation.
• Legal Digests (LRDs): LRDs report on timely legal issues, compile case law, or recommend specific solutions to specific problems.
• Web-Only Documents: Web-only documents are fully searchable PDFs of contractor-prepared reports or supporting appendix materials.
• Selected Studies in Transportation Law: The SSTL series is jointly published by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) and the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP).

Use of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement and Recycled Asphalt Shingles in Asphalt Mixtures September 12, 2016 TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 495: Use of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement and Recycled Asphalt Shingles in Asphalt Mixtures summarizes current practices for the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) in the design, production, and construction of asphalt mixtures. It focuses on collecting information about the use, rather t...

Self-Consolidating Concrete for Cast-in-Place Bridge Components September 9, 2016 TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 819: Self-Consolidating Concrete for Cast-in-Place Bridge Components presents recommended guidelines for the use of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) in cast-in-place highway bridge components. These guidelines address the selection of constituent materials, proportioning of concrete mixtures, testing methods, fresh and hardened...

Planning and Preliminary Engineering Applications Guide to the Highway Capacity Manual September 7, 2016 TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 825: Planning and Preliminary Engineering Applications Guide to the Highway Capacity Manual will help planners apply the methodologies of the 6th Edition of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) to common planning and preliminary engineering analyses, including scenario planning and system performance monitoring. It shows how the HC...

Leadership Guide for Strategic Information Management for State Departments of Transportation August 24, 2016 TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 829: Leadership Guide for Strategic Information Management for State Departments of Transportation assists executives and managers with developing and maintaining an agency’s capability to provide timely, high-quality, mission-critical information. The guidebook includes components of an effective information governance strategy...

Multi-State, Multimodal, Oversize/Overweight Transportation August 22, 2016 TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 830: Multi-State, Multimodal, Oversize/Overweight Transportation is a compilation of existing permitting requirements for the transportation of oversize/overweight (OSOW) freight throughout the United States. It identifies and presents information about state-by-state differences in OSOW road transportation regulations and permi...

Field Validation of Laboratory Tests to Assess Cracking Resistance of Asphalt Mixtures: An Experimental Design August 17, 2016 TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Research Results Digest 399: Field Validation of Laboratory Tests to Assess Cracking Resistance of Asphalt Mixtures: An Experimental Design develops an experimental design, including a proposed schedule and budget, for the field validation of laboratory tests selected under this study to assess the potential for the four types of crack...

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