U.S. airports that receive assistance from the federal government are required to comply with a number of obligations imposed by federal law. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Legal Research Digest 21: Compilation of DOT and FAA Airport Legal Determinations and Opinion Letters as of December 31, 2022  covers legal matters that include the reasonableness of contractual terms,...

Developments in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) technology and the seemingly endless applications of this technology offer society a broad spectrum of enhancements and solutions to many problems. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Research Report 238: Airfield Design for Large Unmanned Aircraft Systems—A Guide provides a fundamental understanding of large UAS (L-UAS) and thei...

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...

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 regio...

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 re...

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 En...

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,...

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 transporta...

ACRP’s 2021 Annual Report of Progress describes the TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program’s activities and accomplishments and how they encourage collaboration to address emerging challenges and foster professional networking across miles and generations. By presenting program metrics and practitioner feedback, the report describes ACRP’s highlights and accomplishments. Since its establishment ...

Airport user surveys have traditionally been used to obtain information for facility planning. More recently, however, surveys are being used to measure satisfaction as a way to identify actions that could improve the customer experience and increase non-aeronautical revenues, particularly those from passenger terminal concessions. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Research Repor...

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.

The theme of TR News 333: May–June 2021 is diversity, equity, and inclusion in transportation and its critical role in a just, fair, and equitable society. Authors highlight TRB’s initiatives addressing DE&I, along with programs within the larger transportation community, from the federal government to states to universities.

There appear to be, in this preliminary assessment, no formidable issues that present design and engineering challenges for installing in-cabin wheelchair securement systems in airplanes. While equipping enough airplanes with securement systems to provide meaningful levels of airline service would require substantial effort, the types of cabin modifications required to provide the needed space and...

Airports worldwide are setting aggressive zero- or low-emissions targets. To meet these targets, airports are deploying new strategies, adopting innovative financing mechanisms, and harnessing the collective influence of voluntary emissions and reporting programs. In tandem, new and affordable zero- or low-emissions technologies are rapidly becoming available at airports. The TRB Airport Cooperati...

TR News 332: March - April 2021 highlights TRB's 100th Annual Meeting and includes articles also explore mobility and human trafficking, near-road air quality, how to make safer roadway crossings for small wildlife, the state of TRB, and TRB and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Significant progress has been made over the last decade in integrating resilience criteria into transportation decision-making. A compelling case remains for investing in making transportation projects more resilient in the face of increasing and intensifying storms, floods, droughts, and other natural hazards that are combining with sea-level rise, new temperature and precipitation norms, and oth...

TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 51: Risk Assessment Method to Support Modification of Airfield Separation Standards is intended to be used to support requests for modification of standards in those circumstances where the design criteria for separations between taxiways/taxilanes and other taxiways/taxilanes and fixed or movable objects as well as separations between taxiw...

Among the topics explored in TR News 331: January–February 2021 are research trends in Transportation Research Record articles; truck size and weight research challenges; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine study on social isolation and loneliness in older adults; future airports, post-hurricane supply chain resilience; Hawaii's Interstate high-tech revamp; and more.

Racism has been overt in transportation. For example, the segregation of races on intercity trains led to the infamous 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson “separate but equal” Supreme Court doctrine that stood for more than half a century. While many discriminatory policies have been reversed by the courts and in constitutional amendments, their impacts on society have not been fully remedied and persist. TRB...

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) has not been transported to any significant degree by freight railroads in the United States. When the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 was enacted, it directed the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to convene a committee of i...

Today’s airports have become much more than transportation hubs. They are increasingly becoming places where people dine, shop, relax, work, and interact. This expanded role comes with challenges as airports try to understand and address the needs of their diverse customer base. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Research Report 231: Evaluating the Traveler's Perspective to Improv...

There is a widespread and heightened interest in both taking a hard look at where inequity exists and how to identify ways to address it with actionable solutions. The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's Transportation Research Circular E-C270: Opportunities for Research on Transportation and Equity presents the outcomes of a TRB brainstorming session put forth as a challenge from ...

Awareness of the vulnerability of the country’s existing electrical system has increased with the frequency of short-term blackouts and long-term utility outages. Power outages impact airport operations by causing flight delays, extended layovers, disruptions in cargo operations, loss of revenue, and limitations in airports’ ability to provide emergency support. The TRB Airport Cooperative Researc...

A public-private partnership (P3) can be a dynamic tool to help infrastructure owners achieve a range of objectives on projects, such as incorporating lifecycle project costs into decision-making, benefiting from innovation in design and construction techniques, or sharing certain performance risks. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Research Report 227: Evaluating and Implementin...

Understanding pandemics, their impacts to transportation, and potential effective response has become more important, not only for the response to COVID-19, but also if, as the World Health Organization warns, we are now “living in a time of viruses.” TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program and Transit Cooperative Research Program have jointly issued  NCHRP Research Report 963/TCR...

Understanding pandemics, their impacts to transportation, and potential effective response has become more important, not only for the response to COVID-19, but also if, as the World Health Organization warns, we are now “living in a time of viruses.” TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program and Transit Cooperative Research Program have jointly issued  NCHRP Research Report 963/TCR...

TR News 330: November–December 2020 issue of TR News features articles on topics including incorporating resiliency into freight mobility, living with transformational technologies, and pollution-reducing highway barriers.

Airports and their support industries have changed significantly over the past several decades. It is imperative that academic programs continue to evolve with these changes to better prepare the next generation of airport industry professionals. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Research Report 230: Enhancing Academic Programs to Prepare Future Airport Industry Professionals pro...

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations require the licensing of spaceports and launch vehicles, which includes the assessment of environmental impacts. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program’s ACRP Web-Only Document 51: Commercial Space Vehicle Emissions Modeling presents a user-friendly tool for practitioners to estimate the emissions associated with commercial space vehicle acti...