Highway infrastructure inspection helps ensure that construction meets plans, specifications, and material requirements while supporting the quality and longevity of transportation assets. Infrastructure owners are increasingly using emerging remote virtual inspection (RVI) technologies, including mobile devices, AI, machine learning, light detection and ranging, small uncrewed aerial systems, and remote imaging technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and closed-circuit television. RVI technologies have numerous applications, including quantity estimation, verification and acceptance processes, payment scheduling, progress tracking, and the generation of as-built records to support future maintenance efforts. However, effective adoption requires thoughtful implementation and an understanding of each technology’s capabilities and limitations.

NCHRP Research Report 1172: Virtual Inspection Systems for Highway Construction Projects: A Guide, produced by TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program, explores the fundamental principles, organizational strategies, governance mechanisms, readiness assessments, and practical examples for effectively integrating digital technologies and systems into RVIs. The guide is organized into four parts covering management guidance, technical reference, practical case studies, and key takeaways to support the understanding and implementation of RVI technologies.

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Research Report 834: Crossing Solutions at Roundabouts and Channelized Turn Lanes for Pedestrians with Vision Disabilities: A Guidebook presents guidance on the application of crossing solutions at roundabouts and channelized turn lanes at signalized intersections for pedestrians with vision disabilities. This publication will be of interest to engineers tasked with designing a particular site, planners and decision makers at the municipal and state government levels, and others.

Employees of state departments of transportation (DOTs) face numerous and dynamic hazards while executing their job duties, including work near moving equipment, work near the traveling public, and work during and responding to natural hazard events. In response, DOTs deploy a wide variety of occupational safety training to provide their employees with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to execute their job duties safely. That wide variety includes various topics, various cycles for updating, various modes of delivery, and various metrics for deployment, among other related issues.

NCHRP Synthesis 665: Occupational Safety Training and Knowledge Sharing for State DOT Employees, produced by TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program, examines how state departments of transportation develop, deliver, evaluate, and update occupational safety training programs. It documents agency practices related to training delivery methods, required training by job function and supervisory level, agencywide versus district-specific programs, and the use of safety data and performance metrics to guide training decisions. The synthesis also reviews approaches for onboarding new employees, measuring training effectiveness, gathering employee feedback, developing specialized training, and involving experienced staff in the creation of in-house training materials. In addition, it examines knowledge transfer planning and the extent to which safety training is provided by in-house staff, consultants, or third-party training providers.