11th Annual Harbor Safety Committee Conference
1/26/2009

TRB is cosponsoring the 10th Annual Harbor Safety Committee Conference on May 27-29, 2009, in Tampa, Florida.  Each year, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Harbor Safety Committees (HSC) come together for a national conference that provides an opportunity for HSCs to engage in information exchange on current challenges, best practices, case studies, and lessons learned. Additionally, the conference offers the opportunity for HSCs to engage both public- and private-sector leaders on issues relating to marine transportation. HSCs are local coordinating bodies throughout the country that work with the USCG to address issues relating to the safety, security, mobility, and environmental protection of a port or waterway. HSCs coordinate issues relating to commercial as well as recreational marine transportation. Membership of HSCs is typically comprised of local representatives of governmental agencies, maritime labor and industry organizations, and public interest groups.  [More]

2009 TRB 88th Annual Meeting: Select Sessions Now Available in Electronic Format
1/26/2009

View and listen to select presentations given at the TRB 88th Annual Meeting, January 11-15, 2009, as part of the TRB e-Session series.  Presentations are grouped by subjects and by session numbers.  Sessions under the meeting’s spotlight theme of “Transportation, Energy, and Climate Change” are also included.  The TRB e-Session series is designed to bring information presented at TRB conferences and meetings to those who were not able to attend.  [More]

34th Annual Ports, Waterways, Freight and International Trade Conference: Critical Research Issues in Freight and Marine Transportation
1/26/2009

TRB is sponsoring its Annual Ports, Waterways, Freight, and International Trade Conference on May 4-6, 2009, in Irvine, California. The meeting is designed to explore critical issues in freight and marine transportation, develop research problem statements for consideration by the TRB National Cooperative Freight Research Program and inclusion in the TRB Research Needs database, and develop calls for papers and presentations for TRB’s 2010 Annual Meeting.  An exhibit will be included with this event.  [More]

FY 2009 National Cooperative Highway Research Program Synthesis Topics Sought
1/27/2009

TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) is soliciting ideas on candidate topics for the FY 2009 Synthesis Program.  NCHRP initiates a number of synthesis studies annually that summarize existing highway practice.  Syntheses do not undertake new research, nor do they contain policy recommendations.  Synthesis reports are most valuable when they are focused on issues or problems common to many organizations.  The primary users of the reports are the practitioners who work on those issues or problems using diverse approaches in their individual settings.  All proposed new topics must be submitted online through the TRB Synthesis website.  Studies currently under way and all completed studies can also be accessed at this site.  In addition to suggestions for new topics of study, please feel free to suggest updates of previously published syntheses.  A brief statement of scope is necessary for each topic suggested.  [More]

HMCRP FY 2009 Projects: Oversight Panel Nominee Solicitation
1/22/2009

TRB’s Hazardous Materials Cooperative Research Program (HMCRP) is soliciting nominations of individuals to serve on oversight panels for new projects being established under HMCRP's fiscal year 2009 program. Nominees should have expertise directly relevant to the proposed project topic. To help identify candidates who are members of historically underrepresented groups, TRB encourages the nomination of women and members of minority groups.  Panels for the new research projects are scheduled to meet starting in March 2009.  Panel members are prohibited from submitting or participating in preparation of proposals on projects under their jurisdiction.  A preliminary description of the FY 2009 projects and additional information on the nomination process are available online.  [More]

NCFRP FY 2009 Projects: Oversight Panel Nominee Solicitation
1/22/2009

TRB's National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP) is soliciting nominations of individuals to serve on oversight panels for new projects being established under NCFRP's fiscal year 2009 program. Nominees should have expertise directly relevant to the proposed project topic. To help identify candidates who are members of historically underrepresented groups, TRB encourages the nomination of women and members of minority groups.  Panels for the new research projects are scheduled to meet starting in March 2009.  Panel members are prohibited from submitting or participating in preparation of proposals on projects under their jurisdiction.  A preliminary description of the FY 2009 projects and additional information on the nomination process are available online.  [More]

A Guide for Addressing Collisions Involving Motorcycles
1/24/2009

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 500, Vol. 22: Guidance for Implementation of the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan: A Guide for Addressing Collisions Involving Motorcycles provides guidance on strategies that can be employed to reduce crashes involving motorcycles.  [More]

Crosscutting Techniques for Planning and Analysis 2008
1/26/2009

TRB’s Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2077 includes 22 papers that explore integrating land use and transport planning in the Netherlands, freight transportation planning, Montana's statewide long-range transportation plan, best practices for traffic impact studies, ferry parking and landside access study, public involvement in a proposed transportation project, the relationship between the built environment and travel behavior, and estimating transportation costs by neighborhood and household characteristics.  This issue of the TRR also examines accessibility trade-offs in residential location; transit-oriented development in China; modeling urban growth; residential preferences and choices in Northern California; microsimulation of residential land development and household location choices in Austin, Texas; and microsimulation of business size, location, and interactions in Austin, Texas.  In addition, this issue includes papers on transit path building, solving the sequential travel forecasting procedure with feedback, mobility monitoring process and guidebook for small to medium communities, synthesized through-trip models for small and medium urban areas, Internet portal for participation of large groups in transportation programming decisions, shifting modes of travel to national parks, and office decisions to change location.  [More]

Fighting Fatigue in Steel Bridges: Kansas Bridge Design Engineers Guide Research Solutions into Practice
1/22/2009

Two Kansas highway bridges, K-96 over the Little Arkansas River in Hutchinson, and K-16 over the Tuttle Creek Reservoir in Riley County, revealed many distortion-induced fatigue cracks during several inspection cycles.  The University of Kansas (KU) and the Kansas State Bridge Office (KSBO) formed a partnership to determine and evaluate retrofit solutions for each of the two bridges. The KSBO developed preliminary analytical models for initial understanding and for the retrofit development. KU evaluated the proposed repairs with sophisticated analysis tools and experimental field techniques. KU and Kansas DOT then partnered in field evaluations of each of the structures, before and after the repairs, to estimate the performance of the new details.  The stress ranges in the repaired details at the Arkansas River Bridge decreased significantly, resulting in an estimated fatigue life of 25 to 65 years, depending on traffic. The repair work performed on the structure cost $500,000, in contrast to the estimated $5 million for bridge replacement, which also would have inconvenienced the traveling public. The calculated fatigue life of the retrofitted details in the Tuttle Creek Bridge exceeds the useful life of the structure. The repair and retrofit work cost $700,000, with bridge replacement estimates ranging from $26.5 million to $62.6 million. Because of the high cost of replacement, the only viable alternative to repair would have been closure, forcing residents to detour almost 50 miles.  The benefits of this research partnership to the agency, taxpayers, and the traveling public were substantial. Repair was a much more economical alternative than replacement, and travelers and local residents did not have to make excessive—and possibly permanent—detours. These retrofit methods can be used on many Kansas bridges of similar design, as well as on other U.S. bridges with similar fatigue damage.  [More]

Freight Systems 2008
1/23/2009

TRB’s Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2066 includes 13 papers that explore trip chaining behavior in hybrid microsimulation urban freight models, a dynamic freight simulation–assignment model for a large-scale intermodal rail network, market potential for international rail-based intermodal services in Europe, and regional repositioning of empty containers.  This issue of the TRR also examines sources of delay for dray trucks at container terminals; hinterland strategy selection for container port based on GE matrix and fuzzy TOPSIS; iterated cooperation and possible deviations between liner shipping carriers based on noncooperative game theory; and service time variability at Blaine, Washington.  In addition, this Journal highlights freight issues associated with border crossing, screening process for identifying potential truck-only toll lanes in a metropolitan area, cost-recovery optimization methodology for a fixed-class truck tolling structure, bias in truck toll forecasts, tolling heavy goods vehicles, and approaches to improving rollover stability of cargo tank motor vehicles.  [More]

Implementing the Results of the Second Strategic Highway Research Program: Saving Lives, Reducing Congestion, Improving Quality of Life
1/27/2009

TRB Special Report 296, Implementing the Results of the Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2): Saving Lives, Reducing Congestion, Improving Quality of Life explores promising results expected from the SHRP 2 research and provides recommendations on how they could be most effectively implemented.  The committee that developed the report believes that the widespread implementation of products developed by SHRP 2 is critical in order to address the nation’s roadway safety, renewal, reliability, and capacity issues.  [More]

Intercity Rail Passenger Systems Update: Winter 2009
1/25/2009

TRB has released the latest issue of the Intercity Rail Passenger Systems Update.  The online newsletter is published intermittently and is designed to disseminate information about current research and developments in intercity rail passenger systems.  Articles in this issue explore the growth of the European passenger rail systems, recent developments in the high-speed rail movement in the United States, and the potential role of energy-efficient trains in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  This issue also includes an update on Amtrak.  [More]

2007 Large Truck Crash Overview
1/26/2009

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has released its annual report that provides an overview of large truck crash data by trends, vehicles, drivers, and crash environment.  [More]

Countermeasures That Work: A Highway Safety Countermeasure Guide for State Highway Safety Offices, Fourth Edition, 2009
1/26/2009

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a report that explores major highway safety strategies and countermeasures that are relevant to State Highway Safety Offices; summarizes their use, effectiveness, costs, and implementation time; and provides references to safety research summaries and individual studies.  [More]

Guide to Promoting Bicycling on Federal Lands
1/26/2009

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released a report that explores ways to promote bicycling on federal lands.  The report examines the benefits of bicycling, successful bicycling programs, policies that support bicycling, issues and challenges faced by land managers, and resources available to help meet these challenges.  [More]

Horizons Newsletter: Spring 2009
1/22/2009

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) has released the latest issue of its quarterly newsletter.  The newsletter is designed to keep RITA’s stakeholders up to date on the department’s research activities and its efforts in advancing the deployment of cross-cutting technologies to move the nation’s transportation system forward.  [More]

Innovator: December 2008/January 2009
1/26/2009

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released the latest issue of its Innovator newsletter, which is designed to help advance widespread implementation of innovations and technologies in the highway community and help chronicle a nationwide movement to improve the way highways are built.  [More]

Pocket Guide to Transportation 2009
1/26/2009

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), has released the print version of its latest pocket guide to transportation.  The pocket guide is designed as a quick reference on the changes in the U.S. transportation system since 1970 and how they have affected the nation's economy, safety, energy use, and the environment.  [More]

Review of Missouri River Navigation
1/26/2009

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has released a letter report that examines the annual and total tonnage of commodity shipments for each state served by the Missouri River.  The report also explores the comparable tonnage of commodity shipments transported on the Mississippi River for states served by both the Missouri and the Mississippi rivers.  [More]

Test Track and Driving Simulator Evaluations of Warnings to Prevent Right-Angle Crashes at Signalized Intersections
1/26/2009

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released a report that explores the potential for an intelligent transportation systems countermeasure to reduce the number of collisions that result from red-light violations at signalized intersections.  [More]

Traffic Volume Trends: November 2008
1/26/2009

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released the latest issue of Traffic Volume Trends, which is a monthly report based on hourly traffic count data reported by the states.  According to the report, travel on all roads and streets declined by 5.3 percent (-12.9 billion vehicle miles) in November 2008 as compared with November 2007. Travel for the month is estimated to be 230.4 billion vehicle miles.  Cumulative travel for 2008 was down by 3.7 percent (-102.1 billion vehicle miles). The cumulative estimate for the year is 2,656.2 billion vehicle miles of travel.  [More]

Transportation and Climate Change Newsletter - December 2008
1/26/2009

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty has released the latest issue of its monthly newsletter designed to keep transportation stakeholders up-to-date on various issues related to transportation and climate change.  [More]

Transportation Services Index: November 2008
1/22/2009

The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ Transportation Services Index (TSI) fell 1.1 percent in November, the latest month available, to 108.8.  The TSI measures the movement of freight and passengers. The index, which is seasonally adjusted, combines available data on freight traffic, as well as passenger travel, that have been weighted to yield a monthly measure of transportation services output.  [More]

Evaluation of Commercial Video-Based Intersection Signal Actuation Systems
1/26/2009

The California Department of Transportation has released a report that explores the application of standards and procedures to the testing and comparative evaluation of examples of video-based intersection signal actuation systems.  [More]

Study of the Effect of ADA Accessibility on Kansas Roundabouts
1/22/2009

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has released a report that explores the various types of pedestrian and vehicle conflicts at Kansas roundabouts.  The report also examines factors that are beneficial or detrimental to roundabout growth in Kansas and includes recommended approaches for promoting the benefits of roundabouts. To view a copy of the report, search on “KSU-05-4” without the quotation marks on the Kansas Research Reports Catalog page.  [More]

Treatment of Contaminated Roadway Runoff Using Vegetated Filter Strips
1/22/2009

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has released a report that explores the potential effectiveness of vegetated highway embankments as a stormwater runoff best management practice (BMP) for retention of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and particulates. To view a copy of the report, search on “KU-03-5” without the quotation marks on the Kansas Research Reports Catalog page.  [More]

Utah Department of Transportation Research Division Newsletter: December 2008
1/23/2009

The Utah Department of Transportation’s (UDOT’s) Research Division has released the latest issue of its newsletter, which contains highlights of current division activities as well as other information.  [More]

Development of a Real-Time Arterial Performance Monitoring System Using Traffic Data Available from Existing Signal Systems
1/26/2009

The University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies has released a report that explores a system for high-resolution traffic signal data collection and arterial performance measurement.  [More]

Go! - January-February 2009
1/23/2009

The Center for Transportation Research and Education at Iowa State University has released the latest issue of Go! magazine.  Go! is an online magazine for teens and young adults that explores the world of transportation and careers they can find there.  [More]

USF Journal of Public Transportation: Volume 11, No. 4, 2008
1/26/2009

The University of Southern Florida (USF) has released the latest issue of its Journal of Public Transportation.  This issue explores the impacts of express bus service on passenger demand; bus arrival time deviations in stochastic networks; high-occupancy-vehicle lane incentives for hybrid vehicles in Virginia; the Kansas City, Missouri, light rail project; and bus u-turns at signalized intersections.  [More]

Incremental Pricing Feasibility Study
1/26/2009

The National Transportation Commission of Australia has released a report that explores the potential use of incremental pricing for heavy vehicles that would allow transport operators to carry additional mass above national highway regulated limits by paying the roadway owner for the extra road wear and tear.  [More]

America's Top Five Transportation Headaches - and Their Remedies
1/26/2009

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and TRIP have released a report that explores issues associated with the nation’s aging infrastructure, roadway congestion, traffic fatalities, system capacity, and the cost of transportation.  [More]

Insurance Challenges for Paratransit
1/23/2009

The National Conference of State Legislatures has released an issue brief that explores the insurance challenges facing paratransit.  The report examines various state laws regarding paratransit insurance, risk management techniques for paratransit providers, state policy approaches to provide transit services, and more.  [More]

UNCTAD Transport Newsletter: Fourth Quarter 2008
1/26/2009

The latest issue of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) quarterly Transport Newsletter is now available.  UNCTAD promotes the development-friendly integration of developing countries into the world economy.  [More]