Transportation Research Board
HomeContact Us Directory E-NewsletterFollow Us RSS

The National Academies
Publications > Research Pays Off
Text Size: Increase Text SizeDecrease Text Size| Share:



Research Pays Off

Transportation organizations recognize the importance of research, and public agencies are no exception; however, research is one of many competing activities in an agency's budget. To properly assess the value of research, decisionmakers must understand the potential for longer-term rewards; therefore, there is a need to demonstrate, continually, the benefits of research.  Research Pays Off (RPO) articles appear in most issues of TRB's bimonthly magazine, TR News. RPO articles highlight research results that provide innovative, cost-effective solutions to important transportation-related problems. The range of these solutions is multimodal and broad.

Information on submitting a RPO article for consideration for publication in a future issue of the TR News is available online.

A subject areas listing of past Research Pays Off articles is available online.

Research Pays Off: Can Travel Training Services Save Public Transportation Agencies Money?Research Pays Off: Can Travel Training Services Save Public Transportation Agencies Money?
March 21, 2012
Travel training services may offer public transportation agencies an alternative to providing increasingly costly paratransit service to customers with disabilities. Research to understand the outcomes and financial implications of travel training services, however, has been scant. To address this issue, a cost–benefit model was tested to measure the value that travel training services can prov...
Research Pays Off: Automated Speed Enforcement Slows Down Drivers in Work ZonesResearch Pays Off: Automated Speed Enforcement Slows Down Drivers in Work Zones
January 26, 2012
More than 7,000 crashes occur annually in highway work zones in Illinois, causing approximately 2,000 injuries. The number of work zone fatalities in the state reached a peak of 44, including 5 workers, in 2003. Speeding is one of the most important contributors, affecting the frequency and severity of work zone crashes. In 2004 the Illinois Department of Transportation deployed two self-contai...
Research Pays Off: Better Communication to Mitigate Complaints About Aircraft Noise: Initiatives at San Diego International AirportResearch Pays Off: Better Communication to Mitigate Complaints About Aircraft Noise: Initiatives at San Diego International Airport
November 16, 2011
Airports across the country are experiencing increases in complaints about aircraft noise from residents outside the federally defined, impacted area, determined by a noise contour of 65 DNL (day–night average noise level). Research conducted under TRB's Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) has identified best practices for airports in communicating with residents affected by aircraft no...
Research Pays Off: Warm-Mix Asphalt Heating Up in VirginiaResearch Pays Off: Warm-Mix Asphalt Heating Up in Virginia
July 25, 2011
Warm-mix asphalt (WMA) promises potential constructability and environmental benefits.  Without proof that the technology provides an equivalent level of performance, however, some transportation agencies in the United States have questioned implementation. In 2006, the Virginia Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research (formerly ...
Research Pays Off: Wyoming Rural Roads Safety Program: Focusing Locally on High-Risk SegmentsResearch Pays Off: Wyoming Rural Roads Safety Program: Focusing Locally on High-Risk Segments
May 19, 2011
Rural roads are critical links in the U.S. transportation system, serving the travel and commerce needs of approximately 60 million Americans. Approximately 80 percent of the nation’s roadway miles traverse rural areas. Identifying high-risk rural road segments and determining the safety countermeasures that are most appropriate is a potentially efficient and cost-effective way to improve highw...
Research Pays Off: Improved Predictions of Pier Scour Save Bridge Resources: Florida Develops and Applies FindingsResearch Pays Off: Improved Predictions of Pier Scour Save Bridge Resources: Florida Develops and Applies Findings
March 23, 2011
Travelers in the United States rely on more than one-half million bridges to traverse valleys, bodies of water, roads, railroad tracks, and other physical obstacles. Standard practice requires that bridge foundations be designed to withstand the effects of sediment erosion around the piers or scour for 100 years of flow. Underestimating the impacts of scour can lead to bridge failure, while ove...
Research Pays Off: Implementing the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide for Cost Savings in IndianaResearch Pays Off: Implementing the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide for Cost Savings in Indiana
January 28, 2011
The Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) design and analysis process incorporates a hierarchical approach to design inputs for subgrade, materials, environment, traffic, and project information, which demands that the designers must be knowledgeable about pavement design inputs and pavement performance. In 2002 the Indiana Department of Transportation (DOT) initiated an aggressiv...
Research Pays Off: Get on the Bus: Connecting Small Communities on Montana’s Hi-LineResearch Pays Off: Get on the Bus: Connecting Small Communities on Montana’s Hi-Line
November 9, 2010
In rural and frontier areas, transit is often needed to provide mobility for those who lack access to basic services. Despite this critical need, public agencies traditionally have considered transit systems infeasible and unaffordable in areas with low population densities. With the help of the Western Transportation Institute (WTI) at Montana State University–Bozeman, Opportunity Link, Inc., ...
Research Pays Off: Creating Environmentally Sound Specifications for Culvert Rehabilitation: Virginia Applies Findings for Cured-in-Place Pipe RepairResearch Pays Off: Creating Environmentally Sound Specifications for Culvert Rehabilitation: Virginia Applies Findings for Cured-in-Place Pipe Repair
July 30, 2010
Styrene, a common component in cured-in-place pipe (CIPP), can be toxic to aquatic species and is classified as a potential carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); however, the potential environmental impacts of CIPP repair have been little investigated. The Virginia Department of Transportation (DOT) tasked the Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC) to evaluate the im...
Research Pays Off: Jointless Bridge Research Pays Dividends for VermontResearch Pays Off: Jointless Bridge Research Pays Dividends for Vermont
June 18, 2010
The Vermont Department of Transportation (VTrans) initiated a research project, Performance Monitoring of Jointless Bridges, to gain a thorough understanding of how jointless bridges respond to thermal movements and to dead and live loads in a northern climate. The primary research objectives were to provide VTrans engineers with the knowledge and quantitative data to design and construct cost-...
Research Pays Off: Developing and Implementing a Rockfall Management System and Mitigation Program for TennesseeResearch Pays Off: Developing and Implementing a Rockfall Management System and Mitigation Program for Tennessee
March 24, 2010
Rockfall management at the Tennessee Department of Transportation (DOT) historically was reactive. This approach did not make the best use of resources, and no mechanism was in place to approach the problem on a statewide basis. Tennessee therefore initiated a research project to develop a hazard rating system for the state and to produce a statewide map of sites. In 2008, Tennessee DOT used th...
Research Pays Off: Implementing a Winter Maintenance Decision Support System: Indiana Department of Transportation’s Process, Success, and SavingsResearch Pays Off: Implementing a Winter Maintenance Decision Support System: Indiana Department of Transportation’s Process, Success, and Savings
February 17, 2010
Collectively, state and local departments of transportation (DOTs) in the snow-belt states spend approximately 25 percent of their maintenance budgets—or more than $2.3 billion—annually on winter maintenance operations. Recognizing that even slight improvements in the efficiencies of snow and ice control operations can save millions of dollars, Indiana and other state DOTs established a pooled-...
Research Pays Off: Service Life Modeling: Selecting Repair and Rehabilitation Options for Bridge StructuresResearch Pays Off: Service Life Modeling: Selecting Repair and Rehabilitation Options for Bridge Structures
November 30, 2009
Evaluating the corrosion condition of a reinforced concrete structure is essential in developing a strategy for repair and rehabilitation after corrosion-induced damage. Several destructive and nondestructive test methods and techniques are available to ascertain the corrosion condition of the reinforcement in portions that do not yet show concrete damage. Most of these techniques, however, req...
Research Pays Off: Reducing Underwater Sounds with Air Bubble Curtains: Protecting Fish and Marine Mammals from Pile-Driving Noise Research Pays Off: Reducing Underwater Sounds with Air Bubble Curtains: Protecting Fish and Marine Mammals from Pile-Driving Noise
August 3, 2009
Pile driving at large construction sites produces formidable noise. Marine pile driving similarly can produce high sound pressures underwater—but these can be lethal to fish and can harass marine mammals, including those protected by federal law. This problem has contributed to costly construction delays on major bridge projects. To protect marine life, engineers have designed air bubble curtai...
Research Pays Off--ShakeCast: Caltrans Deploys a Tool for Rapid Postearthquake ResponseResearch Pays Off--ShakeCast: Caltrans Deploys a Tool for Rapid Postearthquake Response
June 28, 2009
After a major earthquake, one of the most critical tasks for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is to assess the impact on the condition of all bridges and roadway corridors in the state highway system. Timely response ensures public safety, guides emergency vehicle traffic, and reestablishes critical lifeline routes.  In the past, the identification of bridges that nee...



Cronologically listed older versions of Research Pays Off articles may also be found online.   
Transportation Research Board. 500 Fifth St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Copyright © 2012. National Academy of Sciences. All Rights Reserved.