News & Updates

Weekly Briefs for the Week of June 18, 2012

1. Putting Transit to Work in Main Street America – This report explores how smaller cities, towns, and rural places are integrating transit into their communities. It seeks to elevate the emerging best practices in smaller cities and rural places where transit investments are helping to set the stage for a robust future.
2. Trends in Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plans – This research explores the diversity of State approaches to SLRPs, including responses to Federal regulations and the unique transportation needs and priorities of each State.
3. Summary of Research Findings: Assessing and Comparing Environmental Performance of Major Transit Investments – This research provides an overview of the use of different metrics of environmental performance of transit projects. It offers decision makers optional criteria, metrics, and methods.
4. NHTSA Reports
   • Blueprint for Ending Distracted Driving – This document lays out a plan for building on the progress the U.S. has made to date and arms safety partners, advocates, and the Nation’s future leaders with clear, forward‑thinking strategies.
   • Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities in 2011 – This research note provides a summary of traffic safety estimates for 2011.
5. Design and Management of Historic Roads – This document explores how the inherent flexibility in the current policies, manuals, criteria, rules, standards, and data sets that underlie the transportation planning and project development process may be used to preserve historic roads and roads in historic districts and settings.
6. Miscellaneous Reports
   • Systematic Procedures to Determine Incentive/Disincentive Dollar Amounts for Highway Transportation Construction Projects – This research evaluates the effect of I/D amounts in order to improve the effectiveness of I/D contracting and develops a systematic procedure to determine the I/D dollar amount to assist transportation project planners and engineers in their decision-making process.