<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>TRB Publications Index</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/</link><atom:link href="http://pubsindex.trb.org/common/TRIS Suite/feeds/rss.aspx?s=PHNlYXJjaD48cGFyYW1zPjxwYXJhbSBuYW1lPSJsb2NhdGlvbiIgdmFsdWU9IjIiIC8%2BPHBhcmFtIG5hbWU9InN1YmplY3Rsb2dpYyIgdmFsdWU9Im9yIiAvPjwvcGFyYW1zPjxmaWx0ZXJzIC8%2BPHJhbmdlcyAvPjxzb3J0cz48c29ydCBmaWVsZD0icHVibGlzaGVkZGF0ZSIgb3JkZXI9ImRlc2MiIC8%2BPC9zb3J0cz48cGVyc2lzdHM%2BPHBlcnNpc3QgbmFtZT0icmFuZ2V0eXBlIiB2YWx1ZT0icHVibGlzaGVkZGF0ZSIgLz48L3BlcnNpc3RzPjwvc2VhcmNoPg%3D%3D" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><description></description><language>en-us</language><copyright>Copyright © 2015. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright><docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs><managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor><webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster><image><title>TRB Publications Index</title><url>http://pubsindex.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle.png</url><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/</link></image><item><title>Study on Tensile Mechanical Properties of Cast-In-Place Wet Joints in Steel-Concrete Composite Beam</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2788728</link><description><![CDATA[The wet joint, a critical component in prefabricated steel-concrete composite beams (SCCBs), is typically subjected to tensile stresses during service. Consequently, its crack resistance directly governs the serviceability and durability of the SCCB. This study investigates the use of an early-strength, low-shrinkage basalt-fiber-reinforced concrete (BFRC) as a wet-joint material. Axial tensile tests were conducted on four wet-joint specimens, with crack width development, stress distribution, and cracking load monitored. A finite element model was established and validated against experimental results, and a modified formula for predicting the cracking load of BFRC slabs was proposed. The results indicated that the wet joint–precast concrete interface was the weakest link. Under increasing load, cracks initiating at this interface developed into primary cracks in the concrete deck. Compared to normal concrete, the early-strength, low-shrinkage BFRC demonstrated superior performance in enhancing crack resistance at the joint interface during the initial crack development stage, with an optimal basalt fiber volume fraction of 0.3%. The proposed cracking load formula incorporated a wet-joint influence coefficient and a fiber influence coefficient for modification. Based on experimental and finite element simulations, the joint influence coefficient was determined to be 0.725. The fiber influence coefficients were calibrated to be 0.15 and 0.045 for fiber volume fractions of 0.3% and 0.6%, respectively. Within the parameter range covered in this study, this modified formula exhibited favorable prediction accuracy for the cracking load and crack width development of cast-in-place wet joints in SCCBs under axial tension.]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 10 Oct 2026 16:36:59 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2788728</guid></item><item><title>Providing Passenger Information to People Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision: A Guide</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2784600</link><description><![CDATA[Throughout their transit journey, travelers with full vision can easily use visual information in the form of digital content, maps, and signs to find their way. However, this information is often not usable by people who are blind or have low vision (B/LV) who may use public transit alone or in combination with other modes of transportation. Therefore, it is crucial for transit agency leaders and staff to thoughtfully design and provide accurate, timely, and usable information in ways that passengers with vision disabilities can use to successfully take transit trips. It is also critical for transit agencies to understand that information equivalency is not only a good practice; it is required by federal law. This TCRP Research Report  provides transit agencies and their local partners with up-to-date guidance to help make passenger information accessible to people who are B/LV. The guide provides foundational information on B/LV, including the spectrum and prevalence of vision disabilities, beneficial tools and training, and the concept of the complete trip. It also addresses accessibility requirements and standards, as well as strategies for providing accessible passenger information through multiple channels, including digital resources and staff. Tools are provided to help transit agencies evaluate the accessibility of their current passenger information and identify opportunities for improvement. The guide and tools are not officially adopted standards and do not have the force of law or official policy. Throughout the report, B/LV refers to vision issues, up to and including full blindness, that make everyday activities difficult and cannot be corrected with glasses, contacts, medicine, surgery, or other standard treatments.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:02:59 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2784600</guid></item><item><title>U.S. Numbered Highway System Hits 100</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2775951</link><description><![CDATA[This article describes the transformation of U.S. historic auto trails into a federal roadway network. The article takes a closer look at the marking/numbering of U.S. interstate highways. In 1917 Wisconsin was the first state to number its roads, and in 1926 the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) adopted the U.S. Numbered Highway System. Today that numbering system is still administered by AASHO's successor, AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials), in cooperation with state and local departments of transportation. The article includes black and white photos of early U.S. roads.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:56:50 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2775951</guid></item><item><title>ACRP Insight Event: Preparing Airports for Extreme Weather</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2775950</link><description><![CDATA[The increase in frequency and intensity of weather events is driving the need for new approaches to airport infrastructure planning, operations, and investment. Airports must consider the effects of increasingly severe weather events to ensure that facilities, infrastructure, and operations are resilient. The Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) held an Insight Event titled “Preparing U.S. Airport Infrastructure for Weather Events” on May 7–8, 2025. This event brought together airport-industry practitioners, key stakeholders, and subject matter experts to explore strategies for strengthening airport infrastructure in response to weather events. The event focused on identifying opportunities to prepare for and respond to the increase of natural disasters across the United States, as well as the critical role that airports can play in disaster response and emergency preparedness. This article highlights several key takeaways from the event and summary published as TRB’s Transportation Insights 8.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:56:50 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2775950</guid></item><item><title>Can Transportation Planning Catch Up to a Changing World?</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2775948</link><description><![CDATA[Traditional transportation planning has largely focused on generating a household trip, choosing a destination, deciding on a travel mode, and selecting a travel route. However, there is a need to build a more modern foundation for forecasting trips due to current day changes in travel behavior and travel demand, such as, a decline in household trip making, the growth in service and delivery trip volume, and the increasing propensity to conduct activities virtually. This article discusses the importance of considering these changes when transportation planning along with factors such as the influence of information and communication technologies, the importance of non-work and non-household based travel, the changing nature of development patterns, and higher levels of uncertainty in conditions that impact transportation. In addition, this article highlights the history of the transportation planning process in the U.S., examines trends in vehicle miles of travel (VMT) and trip rates, and discusses the causes and consequences of lower trip-making levels.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:56:50 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2775948</guid></item><item><title>Consensus Study Report: Novel Materials and Methods in Water Resources Infrastructure</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2775949</link><description><![CDATA[An independent committee convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine reviewed the challenges facing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in maintaining and modernizing the nation’s water resources infrastructure and in particular considered the role of  innovative materials. The results of this study are detailed in the consensus study report, Innovative Materials in Water Resources Infrastructure: Opportunities for the Corps of Engineers. This article includes recommendations from the report with a particular emphasis on prioritizing innovative material use in inland navigation and flood risk management projects including the maintenance of dams, locks, and levees. Three material types reviewed in the report are: fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials; high-strength concrete (HSC) and ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC); and 3-D-printed materials. The report recommends strategies that USACE can pursue to further the development, demonstration, and deployment of these and other promising materials.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:56:50 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2775949</guid></item><item><title>ACRP Synthesis 115: Innovative Airport Emergency Plan Practices</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2775947</link><description><![CDATA[Airports are required to maintain an Airport Emergency Plan (AEP) under federal regulations (14 CFR, Part 139). However, many find the standard AEP to be a difficult, cumbersome, or insufficient document for actual emergency responses. To address these shortcomings, airports have developed innovative practices that supplement the AEP with more actionable, all-hazards plans and tools. These practices, highlighted in Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Synthesis 115: Practices in Airport Emergency Plans, include creating addenda with hazard-specific procedures, conducting gap analyses, fostering strong stakeholder collaboration, and implementing robust training programs and exercises. By adopting these proactive measures, the synthesis concludes, airports can enhance their preparedness, improve response and recovery efforts, and better align their AEPs with modern emergency management principles. The synthesis also addresses the unique challenges faced by general aviation airports, which are often exempt from federal emergency plan requirements.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:56:50 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2775947</guid></item><item><title>ACRP Synthesis 121: Mini But Mighty: How Small Airports Keep North America’s Airspace System on Track</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2775946</link><description><![CDATA[This article focuses on the many capabilities of small airports, particularly during diverted flight events,  such as those caused by weather, medical emergencies, and mechanical issues. The article draws from research presented in Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Synthesis 121: Managing a Flight Diversion with an Emergency Response at Small, Non-Hub, or General Aviation Airports. Article topics include: types of small airports, workforce and economic benefits of small airports, service and societal roles, and how small airports maintain readiness with strategies such as cross-training staff, collaboration with stakeholders, resource sharing, early diversion alerts, and rapid response checklists. One small airport highlighted is Gander International Airport in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. This airport gained renown for hosting nearly 7,000 passengers and crew members from 38 wide-bodied jets that diverted when U.S. airspace closed in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:56:50 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2775946</guid></item><item><title>Countering Human Trafficking: A Toolkit for State DOTs</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2786720</link><description><![CDATA[Human trafficking affects hundreds of thousands of minors and adults in the United States through labor and sex trafficking. Organizations such as TAT, Polaris, the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign, and state transportation agencies have developed strategies to identify trafficking, assist victims, and reduce demand. Successful efforts often rely on strong partnerships and educating individuals to recognize and report signs of trafficking. Collaboration among agencies, organizations, businesses, and communities is essential to disrupt trafficking networks and ensure that victims are identified, protected, and connected with appropriate services.  NCHRP Research Report 1191: Countering Human Trafficking: A Toolkit for State DOTs, produced by TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program, addresses the role of state departments of transportation in disrupting human trafficking. The toolkit has two primary components: leadership-focused tools and operational-focused tools. The leadership-focused tools are designed to assist administration officials and executives in making key decisions to initiate a program to disrupt human trafficking and include a quick guidance document, an executive primer, and a policy guide. The operational-focused tools are designed to help agencies develop and implement the actions they decide to pursue and include outreach materials and a training guide.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 16:47:45 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2786720</guid></item><item><title>Evaluating the Rheological and Aging Characteristics of Plastic-Modified Asphalt Binders Incorporating Reactive Elastomeric Terpolymer</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2784776</link><description><![CDATA[This study investigates the rheological behavior and aging characteristics of plastic-modified asphalt binders incorporating two Reactive Elastomeric Terpolymer (RET) stabilizers with different melt flow indices (MFI). A comprehensive experimental program was conducted with performance-grade asphalt (PG) 58-28 as the control binder to assess the effect of RETs on the performance of plastic-modified binders. Separation index and fluorescence microscopy were used to evaluate storage stability, while rheological behavior was analyzed using black space diagrams and performance grading. Aging effects were examined using low-temperature grade, stress dissipation capacity (ΔTc), and Linear Amplitude Sweep testing. In addition, rutting resistance was assessed under higher stress levels by conducting the Multiple Stress Creep Recovery test. The results showed that RET stabilizers improved the storage stability of plastic-modified binders, with the higher MFI stabilizer being more effective. Black space analysis revealed the formation of elastomeric networks and morphological complexity because of RETs, with RET B (lower MFI) exhibiting higher stiffness and lower phase angles, indicating improved rutting resistance. RETs also enhanced high-temperature PG by four grades and restored low-temperature PG, mitigating the reduction caused by plastics. Although ΔTc values degraded with plastic addition, stabilizers improved ΔTc, indicating enhanced resistance to low-temperature cracking. Moreover, RET stabilizers enhanced fatigue life by 660%–1,200% compared with plastic-modified binders. Under extended aging, RET-modified binders showed slightly greater ΔTc and fatigue life reductions but still outperformed other binders. The combination of 2% plastic + RET B provided superior rutting resistance, reducing nonrecoverable creep compliance by 70% and increasing recovery by 3,000%. The results emphasize the potential of RETs in developing high-performance binders.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 08:57:17 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2784776</guid></item><item><title>Dynamic Slot Allocation for Spot Containers under Stochastic Demand and Time-Varying Freight Rates</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2784769</link><description><![CDATA[Container shipping demands are classified into contract and spot demands. Shipping companies typically reserve slots for long-term contracts, while spot bookings must be made before departure. This paper examines the dynamic slot allocation problem for spot containers on a scheduled liner service, formulating it as a dynamic programming (DP) model aimed at maximizing total revenue from accepted slot booking requests. This paper incorporates the variability of freight rates over time and develops a decision period segmentation method grounded in the dynamics of demand arrivals. The stochastic nature of demand arrivals is effectively captured using a non-homogeneous Poisson process. To overcome the curse of dimensionality in solving the DP model, affine and dual techniques transform it into an approximate linear programming model. Given the complexity of solving this model across multiple decision periods, a dynamic disaggregation approach based on time-varying freight rates is proposed. Numerical experiments validate the effectiveness of the methodology. The results show that the dynamic slot allocation strategy significantly outperforms the first-come, first-served, bid-price control, and static booking limits, particularly in high-demand, capacity-constrained scenarios. These findings offer valuable insights for revenue optimization in container shipping.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 08:57:17 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2784769</guid></item><item><title>Assessing the Static and Dynamic Safety Performance of Heavy Vehicle Drivers Using Slacks-Based Measure Super-Efficiency Data Envelopment Analysis and the Malmquist Index</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2784761</link><description><![CDATA[Road freight transportation is essential for social production, commodity circulation, and online consumption, offering flexibility and efficiency. However, traffic accidents and fatalities involving heavy vehicles have been high, mainly as a result of driver error. This research establishes a framework for evaluating the static and dynamic safety efficiency of heavy vehicle drivers, utilizing data envelopment analysis and the Malmquist index. First, the drivers’ aggressive behavior, abnormal status, and risky maneuver data were collected to construct a risk indicator database. Second, the static efficiency of drivers is evaluated using data envelopment analysis to obtain individual efficiency scores and rankings, and the improvement direction for each individual is determined based on the reference set. Furthermore, the model’s accuracy and stability were verified through one-way ANOVA and ranked difference tests. After that, the Malmquist index was used to analyze the dynamic efficiency of individuals and to examine the changing trend in individual efficiency over time. Finally, the static and dynamic efficiencies were combined to further analyze overall driving performance, and targeted improvement measures were implemented for different drivers. The study provides a comprehensive evaluation of drivers’ static and dynamic efficiency, offering targeted improvement measures and supporting freight management platforms.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 08:57:17 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2784761</guid></item><item><title>Developing a Guide to Implementing an Enterprise Data Warehouse</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2786111</link><description><![CDATA[The implementation of an effective enterprise data warehouse (EDW) can be complex, particularly when an organization has a diverse set of data and technology infrastructure. State departments of transportation (DOTs) require guidance on how to architect and implement an EDW strategy that addresses the complete set of functional requirements, including but not limited to data federation, data extract-transform-load (ETL) and extract-load-transform (ELT), storage, naming conventions, data structures, roles and responsibilities, web services, data publishing processes, access by third-party applications, and records management. It is also important that any conventions, models, and structures covered by the guidance align with standard frameworks used in transportation to the greatest extent practical. This conduct of research report documents the development of such guidance.]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 18:00:47 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2786111</guid></item><item><title>High-Accuracy Freight Vehicle Highway Driving Cycle Construction Based on Improved Elitist Genetic Algorithm</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2784760</link><description><![CDATA[To enable the precise evaluation of vehicle energy consumption and emissions under highway driving conditions, and to address the limitations of conventional methods, such as insufficient accuracy and low convergence efficiency, this study proposes a high-precision freight vehicle driving cycle development method based on an improved elitist genetic algorithm (IEGA). The core innovation of the proposed algorithm is the replacement of the inefficient single-point mutation operator in conventional genetic algorithms (GA) with a novel segment reconstruction algorithm based on the Markov reachable domain. Furthermore, a two-stage elitist selection strategy is designed to establish a new and efficient GA framework. This framework facilitates global exploration through large-scale crossover while conducting intensive local optimization for elite individuals, thereby effectively balancing the algorithm’s exploration and exploitation capabilities. Experiment results show that the average deviation between the developed freight vehicle highway driving cycle and real-world data across 16 key characteristic parameters is merely 0.59%. Moreover, the fuel consumption estimation error based on this cycle is as low as 6.24%. This research demonstrates that the proposed method effectively overcomes the tendency of conventional algorithms to converge to local optima, significantly enhancing the accuracy and robustness of driving cycle development. Consequently, it provides a reliable and representative driving cycle for vehicle energy consumption prediction and emissions evaluation.]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 18:00:47 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2784760</guid></item><item><title>Implementing an Enterprise Data Warehouse in Transportation: A Guide</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2786110</link><description><![CDATA[This report presents a comprehensive and phased approach to help state departments of transportation (DOTs) design, deploy, and maintain a sustainable enterprise data warehouse (EDW) tailored to their unique business needs and technical environments. The guide provides an implementation roadmap, project management strategies, a maturity assessment, and best practices. It was developed based on an extensive review and study of the state of practice. The findings will prove useful to data practitioners at DOTs.]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 18:00:47 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2786110</guid></item></channel></rss>