Current state of practice methods to determine mixing and compaction temperatures for asphalt mixtures fail to reasonably explain the mixture workability mechanism and do not consider other important properties of asphalt mix such as aggregate properties and mix gradation. The TRB IDEA (Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis) Program's NCHRP IDEA Final Report for Project 246: Develop a Method for Selecting Low-Energy Mixing and Compaction Temperatures for Asphalt Mixtures Considering Asphalt Lubricat...

Retroreflectivity plays a crucial role in pavement markings as it enhances nighttime visibility for drivers. Yet, due to budget constraints, many state U.S agencies rarely monitor the retroreflectivity of their markings, and instead, restripe their markings based on visual inspection or fixed schedule. The TRB IDEA (Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis) Program's NCHRP IDEA Final Report for Project 237: New Tool for Predicting the Retroreflectivity (RL) of Pavement Markings details the development ...

More than 70 percent of the roadways in the United States are in areas affected by winter weather. Accidents on the roads because of winter weather account for over 7,000 fatalities and over 1 million accidents annually in the U.S. alone. Studies show that there is a significant increase in accidents due to icy road conditions. The TRB IDEA (Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis) Program's NCHRP IDEA Final Report for Project 239: A Real-time Warning System Empowered by Dielectric Ice Sensors for Bri...

The design, fabrication, and installation of cross-frames for curved and highly skewed steel girder bridges can be difficult and time-consuming. In these bridges, the girders twist and deflect, creating differential vertical displacements and rotations such that cross-frame fit can result in multiple challenges. The TRB IDEA (Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis) Program's NCHRP IDEA Final Report for Project 227: Adjustable Cross-frames for the Erection of Steel Girder Bridges develops, numerically...

A sensor system embedded in ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber strips, utilizing force transducer technology to detect tire widths, vehicle classifications, and wheel wander at highway speeds can be deployed in high-traffic corridors to monitor wide-base tires and their impacts on pavement performance. The TRB IDEA (Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis) Program's NCHRP IDEA Final Report for Project 238: Low-Cost Sensing System for the Detection and Classification of Wide Base Tire Types...

Quality control during soil compaction is critical to the proper construction of our roadways and structures. There has always been a void between laboratory moisture-density compaction and the soil’s strength and stiffness. The TRB IDEA (Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis) Program's NCHRP IDEA Final Report for Project 244: Development of a Compaction Quality Control Standard for the Small Diameter Pressuremeter presents information on the development of a new product called the SSMini Pressureme...

A bridge deck serves as the protective layer of the structure. However, the ingress of moisture and early age cracking in a steel-reinforced concrete bridge deck are often overlooked in their relationship to the overall trajectory of its deterioration. The TRB IDEA (Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis) Program's  NCHRP IDEA Final Report for Project 243:  Establishing NDE Protocols for Use in Early Age Bridge Deck Preservation Strategies presents  a method to calculate a vulnerabilit...

In bridge engineering, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) have been employed to enhance the efficiency of the structural design phase, aid in the selection of optimal bridge types, produce cost estimates, conduct realtime structural health monitoring, predict structural response and deterioration, reconstruct data for comprehensive health assessment, and prioritize maintenance efforts. The TRB IDEA (Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis) Program's NCHRP IDEA Final Report for Proj...

Recycled binder availability (RBA) is the proportion of total recycled binder in a reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) source that is available to blend with virgin asphalt. Partial RBA is a consequence of agglomerations of adhered RAP particles. RAP binder locked inside of an agglomeration is ‘unavailable’ whereas the binder within the peripheral mastic coating of an agglomeration is ‘available.' The TRB IDEA (Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis) Program's NCHRP IDEA Final Report for Project 236: A ...

Safety in construction is paramount, yet the U.S construction sector remains one of the most hazardous work environments among industrial segments. Visibility-related issues, often involving construction equipment and pedestrian workers, cause approximately a quarter of all construction fatalities. The TRB IDEA (Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis) Program's NCHRP IDEA Final Report for Project 226: A Smart IOT Proximity Alert System for Highway Work Zone Safety involves the development and validat...