An important operational characteristic of an airport is the length of its longest runway. The longest runway determines the types of aircraft that can use the airport and dictates the operational limitations at the airport. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Web-Only Document 54: Development of a Small Aircraft Runway Length Analysis Tool provides a user-friendly computer tool to help airport planners and designers estimate runway length requirements for a variety of aircraft and design...

Dynamic curbside management has been the purview of cities, with much of the relevant research and guidance directed toward local transportation agencies. However, state departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, and other regional agencies can be important partners for these local entities because, in many cases, roadways and other curb zone elements are part of the regional or state network. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Web-Only Document 340: Dy...

TR News 336: November-December 2021 examines the history of the MnROAD research facility, redesigning transit for the new mobility future, planning and design of airport terminal restrooms and ancillary spaces, understanding systemic risks of railroad hazmat transport, systems engineering for rural connected vehicle corridors, talent for today and tomorrow, and more.

Many technical and institutional issues related to estimating and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) lie across a wide spectrum of the activities undertaken by state departments of transportation (DOTs). The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Web-Only Document 308: Methods for State DOTs to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Transportation Sector documents the research effort for an NCHRP project that focused on developing a guide for state DOTs on reducing GHG emission...

The AASHTO Guide for Enterprise Risk Management , published in 2016, defines enterprise risk management as “the formal and systematic effort to control uncertainty and variability on an organization’s strategic objectives by managing risks at all levels of the organization.” The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Research Report 986: Implementation of the AASHTO Guide for Enterprise Risk Management documents how several state departments of transportation are adopting risk man...

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11), transportation has broadened its role to include response and operations—from traffic incident management as a multiagency function to aviation security. But in the 20 years since 9/11, natural disasters, technology changes, and pandemics have presented new challenges. In TR News 335: September–October 2021 authors address these challenges, as well as how transportation agencies can incorporate resilience to respond quickly and effectively to an ...

The 2021 Annual Report summarizes TRB’s accomplishments in each of its major program areas and how TRB has served the nation and the global transportation professional community throughout the year. TRB provides leadership in transportation improvements and innovation through trusted, timely, impartial, and evidence-based information exchange, research, and advice regarding all modes of transportation. TRB is a program division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). The...

The TRB IDEA (Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis) Program's IDEA Program Announcement 2022  describes the IDEA programs and how they are administered, provides instructions and documents for submitting proposals for funding, and lists general research topics derived from program goals.

New IDEAs for Rail Safety: Rail Safety IDEA Program Annual Report presents a summary of progress on investigations conducted as part of the Rail Safety Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (Rail Safety IDEA) program sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administration and overseen by the Transportation Safety IDEA Program Committee. The  Rail Safety IDEA  program provides funding for projects that promote innovative approaches to improving railroad safety or performance.

In TR News 334: July-August 2021, members of the Marine Board and TRB’s Marine Group standing committees investigate critically important topics for innovation and research in—and transformation of—the marine transportation system to help achieve necessary strides in emissions reduction, automation, big data, and resiliency by 2050.