BACKGROUND

Research on temporary and accessible alternate pedestrian access routes for people with disabilities is limited, with a primary focus on people with vision impairments. Qualitative studies highlight that inaccessible routes disproportionately impact people with disabilities. National guidance is minimal, largely limited to standards from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and the Public Rights-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG). State and local guidance on temporary traffic controls varies significantly; while some states adhere strictly to national guidelines, others have developed more comprehensive protocols. Challenges in achieving accessibility compliance under existing guidance remain inadequately addressed with current research. Without defined parameters or sufficient engagement with people with disabilities, implementation often relies heavily on engineering judgment. Furthermore, common and emerging design solutions offer limited evaluation for accessibility and user experience, leading to inconsistency and uncertainty among practitioners. Research is needed to create user-centered accessible design for temporary and alternate pedestrian routes, ensuring safe and effective mobility for people with disabilities.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this project is to develop a guide for state and local transportation agencies, contractors, and permittees on implementing temporary and accessible alternate pedestrian access routes in public rights-of-way in a variety of design and land use contexts, considering the diverse needs of pedestrians with disabilities (e.g., mobility, visual and hearing impairments, intellectual/developmental). 

Accomplishment of the project objective will require at least the following tasks.

TASKS

Task descriptions are intended to provide a framework for conducting the research. The NCHRP is seeking the insights of proposers on how best to achieve the research objective. Proposers are expected to describe research plans that can realistically be accomplished within the constraints of available funds and contract time. Proposals must present the proposers' current thinking in sufficient detail to demonstrate their understanding of the issues and the soundness of their approach to meeting the research objective.

PHASE I – Planning

Task 1.  Conduct a literature review of research on pedestrian accessibility and mobility challenges in work zones and temporary access routes, state departments of transportation (DOTs) practices and guidelines on processes and implementation, and legal requirements for right-of-way accommodations. Additionally, collect relevant data on work zone safety and the prevalence of disabilities in the general population (including both permanent and temporary disability data as available).

Information may be obtained from published and unpublished sources and through the NCHRP; the Federal Highway Administration; and other national, state, and pooled fund sponsored research.

Task 2. Identify and engage key stakeholders and practitioners (e.g., state DOTs, transit agencies, design and construction professionals, private practitioners, and disability groups) to gather information relevant to this research. At a minimum, conduct:

• Two online surveys—one directed to end users and one directed to practitioners—to collect initial feedback from key stakeholders on needs, challenges to implementation, and successes. The task also involves the Institutional Review Board (IRB) to review and approve the online surveys (see Special Note N).
• Focus group interviews/workshops to collect more nuanced and qualitative information.

Note: Survey questions and a list of potential recipients shall be submitted for review and approval by the NCHRP. 

Task 3. Based on the results of Tasks 1 and 2, identify knowledge gaps related to the project objective. These gaps should be addressed in the final product or the recommended future research, as the budget permits.

Task 4. Propose the work plan to be executed in Phases II and III to achieve the research objective. At a minimum, the work plan shall include:

• Reviewing existing practices for planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of alternate pedestrian access routes.  
• Assessing existing guidelines and practices in terms of meeting current accessibility needs across disability types (e.g., mobility, visual and hearing impairments, intellectual/developmental). 
• Investigating how state and local agencies address civil rights in addition to the tort liability when evaluating accessibility needs for pedestrians with disabilities.  
• Determining the degree of public outreach, operational communication, and involvement of people with disabilities in planning, design, and construction. 
• Analyzing challenges to obtaining compliance with national, state, and local accessibility standards for alternate pedestrian routes.  
• Identifying best practices for inspection and monitoring to maximize compliance.
• Developing recommendations and illustrative diagrams that can be adapted into design standards for effective temporary and alternate pedestrian routes in a variety of land use and design contexts.
• Identifying and evaluating innovative and emerging technologies and techniques for accommodating pedestrians with disabilities on temporary and alternate routes.
• Identifying gaps in guidance and practice to propose accommodation improvements and inform future research on accessible pedestrian access.
• Developing the selection approach for practices to be pilot tested (based on surveys, interviews, and a review of existing and proposed practices) and a pilot testing evaluation method. The research team shall propose the number of pilot studies to be conducted for approval by the NCHRP.
• Planning and delivering educational rollouts in national/regional venues. 

Task 5. Develop an annotated outline for the guide. The guide shall consist of two parts: (1) the design guide and (2) the process guide with case studies. 

Task 6. Prepare Interim Report No. 1, which documents Tasks 1 through 5 and provides an updated work plan for the remainder of the research. The updated plan must describe the process and rationale for the work proposed for Phases II and III.

Note: Following a 1-month review of the interim report by the NCHRP, the research team will meet in person with the project panel to discuss the interim report. Work on Phase II of the project will not begin until authorized by the NCHRP.

PHASE II – Execution

Task 7. Execute the research plan according to the approved Interim Report No. 1.

Task 8. Develop a draft guide based on the approved work plan and the results of the research. 

Task 9. Conduct the pilot studies to evaluate the draft guide and the design interventions and implementation strategies presented in the draft guide based on the results of Tasks 7 and 8. At a minimum, pilot studies should be performed in multiple geographically diverse locations that reflect a variety of design and land use contexts, in a closed-course or open-course environment as appropriate. The pilot studies should collect feedback on effectiveness from people with disabilities and other stakeholders.  

Task 10. Prepare Interim Report No. 2, which documents Tasks 7 through 9 and provides an updated work plan for the remainder of the project. The updated work plan must describe the process and rationale for the work proposed for Phase III.

Note: Following a 1-month review of Interim Report No. 2 by the NCHRP, the research team will meet in person with the project panel to discuss the interim report. Work on Phase III of the project will not begin until authorized by the NCHRP. 

PHASE III – Final Deliverables

Task 11. Revise the guide after consideration of the panel’s review comments and the feedback received from the pilot studies.

Task 12. Prepare (1) presentation material, in a PowerPoint or other format, for use in webinars to facilitate the use and adoption of the guide, and (2) the communication tool(s) to be used in the series of educational rollouts as part of Task 13 (see Special Note N for additional information on the format of the communication tool(s)).

Task 13. Conduct a minimum of ten in-person (with a virtual participation component) educational rollouts in national/regional venues such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) National Network centers. These educational rollouts shall be held in the final 6 months of the contract period.

Task 14. Submit the draft final deliverables, including (1) a final report that documents the entire research effort, (2) the guide, consisting of two volumes: the design guide with an implementation checklist and the process guide with case studies (see Special Note N), and (3) the communication tool(s) used for presentation of research findings and the educational rollouts.  

Note: Following receipt of the draft final deliverables, the remaining 3 months shall be for NCHRP review and comment and for research agency preparation of the final deliverables.

SPECIAL NOTES

A. The Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals for the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Programs were revised in May 2024. Please take note of the new and revised text which is highlighted in yellow.

B. Proposals must be submitted as a single PDF file with a maximum file size of 10 MB. The PDF must be formatted for standard 8 ½” X 11” paper, and the entire proposal must not exceed 60 pages (according to the page count displayed in the PDF). Proposals that do not meet these requirements will be rejected. For other requirements, refer to chapter V of the instructions.

C. The Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals for the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Programs have been modified to include a revised policy and instructions for disclosing Investigator Conflict of Interest. For more information, refer to chapter IV of the instructions. A detailed definition and examples can be found in the CRP Conflict of Interest Policy for Contractors. The proposer recommended by the project panel will be required to submit an Investigator Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Form as a prerequisite for contract negotiations.

D. Proposals will be rejected if any of the proposed research team members work for organizations represented on the project panel. The panel roster for this project can be found at https://www.mytrb.org/OnlineDirectory/Committee/Details/7059. Proposers may not contact panel members directly; this roster is provided solely for the purpose of avoiding potential conflicts of interest.

E. Proprietary Products - If any proprietary products are to be used or tested in the project, please refer to Item 6 in the Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals.

F. Proposals are evaluated by the NCHRP staff and project panels consisting of individuals collectively knowledgeable in the problem area. The project panel will recommend their first choice proposal considering the following factors: (1) the proposer's demonstrated understanding of the problem; (2) the merit of the proposed research approach and experiment design; (3) the experience, qualifications, and objectivity of the research team in the same or closely related problem area; (4) the plan for ensuring application of results; (5) how the proposer approaches inclusion and diversity in the composition of their team and research approach, including participation by certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises; and, if relevant, (6) the adequacy of the facilities. A recommendation by the project panel is not a guarantee of a contract. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS - the contracting authority for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) will conduct an internal due diligence review and risk assessment of the panel’s recommended proposal before contract negotiations continue.

Note: The proposer's approach to inclusion and diversity as well as participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises should be incorporated in Item 11 of the proposal.

G. Copyrights - All data, written materials, computer software, graphic and photographic images, and other information prepared under the contract and the copyrights therein shall be owned by the National Academy of Sciences. The contractor and subcontractors will be able to publish this material for non-commercial purposes, for internal use, or to further academic research or studies with permission from TRB Cooperative Research Programs. The contractor and subcontractors will not be allowed to sell the project material without prior approval by the National Academy of Sciences. By signing a contract with the National Academy of Sciences, contractors accept legal responsibility for any copyright infringement that may exist in work done for TRB. Contractors are therefore responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions for use of copyrighted material in TRB's Cooperative Research Programs publications. For guidance on TRB's policies on using copyrighted material please consult Section 5.4, "Use of Copyrighted Material," in the Procedural Manual for Contractors.

H. The text of the final deliverable is expected to be publication-ready when it is submitted. It is strongly recommended that the research team include the expertise of a technical editor as early in the project timeline as possible. See Appendix F of the Procedural Manual for Contractors Conducting Research in the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Program for technical editing standards expected in final deliverables.

I. Proposals should include a task-by-task breakdown of labor hours for each staff member as shown in Figure 4 in the Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals. Proposals also should include a breakdown of all costs (e.g., wages, indirect costs, travel, materials, and total) for each task using Figures 5 and 6 in the brochure. Please note that TRB Cooperative Research Program subawards (selected proposers are considered subawards to the National Academy of Sciences, the parent organization of TRB) must comply with 2 CFR 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. These requirements include a provision that proposers without a "federally" Negotiated Indirect Costs Rate Agreement (NICRA) shall be subject to a maximum allowable indirect rate of 10% of Modified Total Direct Costs. Modified Total Direct Costs include all salaries and wages, applicable fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel, and up to the first $25,000 of each lower tier subaward and subcontract. Modified Total Direct Costs exclude equipment, capital expenditures, charges for patient care, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs and the portion of each lower tier subaward and subcontract in excess of $25,000.

J. The required technical memorandum titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products” should (a) provide recommendations on how to best put the research findings/products into practice; (b) identify possible institutions that might take leadership in applying the research findings/products; (c) identify issues affecting potential implementation of the findings/products and recommend possible actions to address these issues; and (d) recommend methods of identifying and measuring the impacts associated with implementation of the findings/products. Implementation of these recommendations is not part of the research project and, if warranted, details of these actions will be developed and implemented in future efforts.

The research team will be expected to provide input to an implementation team consisting of panel members, AASHTO committee members, the NCHRP Implementation Coordinator, and others in order to meet the goals of NCHRP Active Implementation: Moving Research into Practice, available at http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/docs/NCHRP_ActiveImplementation.pdf

K. If the team proposes a Principal Investigator who is not an employee of the Prime Contractor, or if the Prime Contractor is proposed to conduct less than 50% of the total effort (by time or budget), then section five of the proposal should include: (1) a justification of why this approach is appropriate, and (2) a description of how the Prime Contractor will ensure adequate communication and coordination with their Subcontractors throughout the project.

L. All budget information should be suitable for printing on 8½″ x 11″ paper. If a budget page cannot fit on a single 8½″ x 11″ page, it should be split over multiple pages. Proposers must use the Excel templates provided in the Information and Instructions for Preparing Proposals for the Transportation Research Board’s Cooperative Research Programs.

M. The National Academies have an ethical and legal obligation to provide proper attribution whenever material from other sources is included in its reports, online postings, and other publications and products. TRB will review all Cooperative Research Programs draft final deliverables using the software iThenticate for potential plagiarism. If plagiarized text appears in the draft final deliverable, the research team will be required to make revisions and the opportunity to submit future proposals may be affected. 

N. The online surveys conducted under Task 2, as well as all presentations, communication tools, and workshop materials, should meet the ADA accessible standards. Also, any survey that involved human subjects shall be reviewed and approved by the IRB to ensure it meets ethical and regulatory standards.