In the latest episode of TRB's Transportation Explorers podcast, BART Chief Communications Officer Alicia Trost discusses where San Francisco is in the vaccination effort and how communications plays a crucial role in getting people to and from vaccine sites. Listen to the podcast here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. It is now...
Its become common to hear that one-in-100-year events are occurring in five-, 10-, and 15-year periods. Scientists identify these extreme weather events based on the historical record of weather in a particular region. A return time is a commonly used metric of probability; for example, a 100-year return time means that in any given year,...
The ACRP is now seeking nominations for serving on project panels. Three additional Fiscal Year 2021 projects on air quality and stormwater have been selected. These panels will develop requests for proposals, select contractors, and review draft deliverables. Please nominate yourself or other candidates to serve on the expert panels of these...
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently hosted workshops on sustainable and resilient supply chains. The discussions explored the feasibility of introducing advanced manufacturing, logistics and decision-making under alternative supply chain scenarios in different sectors, with a view of strengthening the resilience...
Using electronic devices while driving is unsafe, but legislation and enforcement is inconsistent throughout the United States. TRB will host a webinar on Monday, March 15, 2021 from 1:00-2:30 PM Eastern that will review current electronic device use laws and enforcement strategies. Presenters will discuss public awareness strategies and...
Applications for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, have become more ubiquitous. TRB will host a webinar on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 from 1:00-2:30 PM Eastern that will explore the use of UAVs for the purposes of monitoring geotechnical infrastructure. Presenters will discuss Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines, UAV...
Investing in the resilience of our transportation networks and systems is a practice of continuity of operations through daily and extreme hazard conditions. TRB will host a webinar on Thursday, March 18, 2021 from 2:00-4:00 PM Eastern that will provide ways to accurately assess the value of resilience in future infrastructure investments. To...
How can public transportation agencies respond efficiently and effectively to a pandemic? TRB will host a webinar on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 from 1:00-2:30 PM Eastern that will identify ways to do so. Presenters will discuss the Pandemic Playbook, a practical guide for managing a public transportation agencys response to a pandemic, concentrating ...
The performance of an asphalt mixture overlay depends on the interface bond strength between the newly constructed asphalt mixture lift and the underlying pavement layers. TRB will host a webinar on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 from 2:00-3:30 PM Eastern that will discuss the use of tack coat materials in asphalt pavements. A tack coat typically...
TRB's Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) has issued a request for proposals to develop a product or products that general aviation airports of various categories and sizes can use to enhance their resilience. The product(s) should guide airports in preparing to respond, adapt, and sustain itself to all varieties of stressors or shocks...
Active Traffic Management (ATM) strategies have become more common in the United States as state departments of transportation grapple with increasing congestion and fewer dollars available to add capacity to keep pace. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Web-Only Document 286: Principles and Guidance for Presenting...
Airport collaborative decision making (ACDM) is a process in which the stakeholders of operationsairport operators, the air traffic control tower staff, flight operators, ground handlers, fixed-base operators, and othersshare information to improve policies, planning, real-time coordination, and decisions regarding operations. The TRB...
Ongoing and emerging shifts in customer ground access behavior, resulting from the growing use of transportation network companies (TNCs) and the eventual adoption of emerging technologies, are posing a significant challenge to the reliance of airports on parking revenue. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Research Report 225: ...
Digital terrain models (DTMs) are three-dimensional (3D) models of the ground surface showing natural features such as ridges and breaklines. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Synthesis 560: Practices for Construction-Ready Digital Terrain Models documents processes and strategies used by state departments of...
Asphalt binders experience aging that occurs in two distinct stages under quite different conditions: (1) short-term during construction (plant mixing, storage, placement, and compaction) and (2) long-term during the service life of the pavement. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's pre-publication of NCHRP Research Report...
Recycling is a concept that most of society supports as a practice that can benefit the environment and overall well-being, as well as reduce the needs and costs associated with raw materials. However, the conversation needs to shift from just recycling to responsible recycling. This is the focus of a feature article in the November-December 2020...
A new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provides comprehensive recommendations for improving the U.S. electric power system so that it can adequately provide electricity to the nation in a safe, reliable, clean, resilient, and equitable way, especially as the U.S. pursues...
Fundamental shifts in preparedness planning are needed to ensure health, safety, and smooth operations during emergencies in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. To prepare for emergency events requiring evacuation, it is necessary to revise shelter planning and mass care operations, shelter staffing, and shelter design and operations with a...
On March 2, 2021, The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation held a hearing to discuss the coronavirus pandemics effect on aviation.
The TRB Transportation Research E-Newsletter regularly covers transportation research developments in the United States and abroad. This document is not a report of the National Research Council or of the National Academies of Sciences. The opinions expressed in reports highlighted in TRB's Transportation Research E-Newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Transportation Research Board or the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
