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 conce...

The procedures detailed in the 6th Edition of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) estimate capacity and several operational measures, including those determining Level of Service, for freeway facilities as well as surface streets. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Web-Only Document 290: Highway Capacity Manual Methodologies for Corridors Involving Freeways and Surface ...

Although researchers have developed instrumentation for scour detection around bridge piers, the current state-of-the-art practice relies upon visual inspection by divers. As a potential alternative to the traditional methods, this research explored the possibilities of using non-contact and remote sensing-based laser ranging technique for scour mapping and monitoring. The TRB IDEA (Innovations...

This 2018 study published in TRB's journal, Transportation Research Record , examined the increasing penetration of online shopping on physical stores. "Accessibility or Innovation? Store Shopping Trips versus Online Shopping," by Kees Maat and Rob Konings of Delft University of Technology. is one of the most read TRR articles of the past 6 months. The study determined, as of 2017, that online ...

This report summarizes an event focused on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response and its impact on the operational and economic recovery of airports. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's Conference Proceedings on the Web 27: Flight Plan to Recovery: Preparing Airports for the Return of the Traveling Public includes presentations from airport industry leaders who discussed current and...

With the airport industry's introduction and early adoption of safety management systems (SMS), safety processes are taking on a more proactive way of doing the business while continuously improving safety. This shift in approach will drive safety research in the near and long-term future. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Web-Only Document 50: Research Roadmap on Safety Issue...

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 ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted transportation agencies across the U.S. in a variety of ways. On July 15, 2020, TRB's Transportation Asset Management Committee hosted a webinar that featured executives and CEOs from state, regional, and transit agencies. Transportation Research Circular E-C266: Transportation Asset Management in a COVID-19 World captures the details of the discussion on how ...

This 2018 study published in TRB's journal, Transportation Research Record , examined infectious diseases, specifically severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), H1N1, Ebola, and pneumonic plague, but it is worth a new look in light of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. "Germs on a Plane: The Transmission and Risks of Airplane-Borne Diseases," by Nereyda L. Sevilla of George Washington Universi...

TRB hosted the Transportation Resilience 2019: 2nd International Conference on Transportation Resilience to Natural Hazards and Extreme Weather Events (TR2019) at the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D.C., November 13–15, 2019. The primary purpose of TR2019 program was to present advancements made in transportation systems resilience to natural hazards, climate change, and i...