Research on Debris Clearance Presented at TRB

A team led by University of Maryland (UMD) Associate Professor Xianfeng “Terry” Yang presented award-winning research at the 2025 Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) annual meeting, held in January in Washington, D.C.

In their work, Yang and his team identified methods for helping personnel from the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration’s Coordinated Highway Action Response Team (CHART) remove roadway debris more efficiently while reducing the safety hazards involved in the task. More specifically, they evaluated the performance of a specially designed blade mounted on the front of emergency response vehicles to improve debris removal capabilities.

Their study previously won a regional High Value Research Award from the
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Yang and his co-authors, Yaobang Gong and Sayantan Tarafdar, received support for their work from the Maryland State Highway Administration.

Post-doctoral researcher Yaobang Gong (left) and doctoral candidate Sayantan Tarafdar co-authored the study.

Other papers presented by Yang’s group covered topics such as the placement of charging stations for commercial electric vehicles, the impacts of the Key Bridge collapse on freight and other traffic, and improving safety at signalized intersections. Yang also chaired poster sessions on resilient transportation and emergency evacuation.

Many other members of the UMD civil and environmental engineering faculty also chaired committees or presented research at the TRB annual meeting along with their students and postdoctoral researchers. They included Cinzia Cirillo, Qingbin Cui, Dimitrios Goulias, Deb Niemeier, and Paul Schonfeld. Researchers at the department’s Center for Advanced Transportation Technology Laboratory, including Rick Ayers, Mark Franz, Charles Lattimer, and Michael Pack, also presented and led sessions.

UMD Civil and Environmental Engineering at TRB

Below is a summary of lectern sessions, lightning talks, papers, and posters presented by UMD researchers at the 2025 TRB annual meeting.

Lightning talks:

Visualizing National Traffic Impacts of 2024 Total Solar Eclipsea
Charles Lattimer, University of Maryland

Visualizing Changes in Regional Traffic After the Collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge
Michael Pack, University of Maryland, College Park

Lectern Sessions, Papers, and Posters:

Assessment of the Impact of the Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse on Regional Traffic
Sara Zahedian, University of Maryland, College Park
Mark Franz, University of Maryland, College Park
Dhairya Parekh, CATT Laboratory
Przemyslaw Sekula, University of Maryland, College Park
Michael Pack, University of Maryland, College Park
Charles Lattimer, University of Maryland

Locations for Electric Truck Charging Stations and Impact of Battery Technology Improvement
Zheyu Li, University of Maryland, College Park
Youngmin Choi, University of Maryland, College Park
Paul Schonfeld, University of Maryland, College Park

Transfer Learning-Based Prediction of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Demand: Bridging Data Gaps Between Colorado and Minnesota
Farnoosh Roozkhosh, University of Georgia
Angela Yao, University of Georgia
Behnam Tahmasbi, University of Maryland, College Park

Integrating En Route and Home Proximity in Electric Vehicle Charging Accessibility: A Spatial Analysis in the Washington Metropolitan Area
Asal Mehditabrizi, University of Maryland
Behnam Tahmasbi, University of Maryland, College Park
Saeed Saleh Namadi, University of Maryland, College Park
Cinzia Cirillo, University of Maryland

Bi-Level Optimization for Strategic Commercial Electric Vehicle Charging Station Placement
Sayantan Tarafdar, University of Maryland, College Park
Yi Zhang, University of Maryland, College Park
Yaobang Gong, University of Maryland, College Park
Xianfeng Yang, University of Maryland, College Park

Spatially Varying Relationships Between Metrorail Ridership and Its Determinants in the Washington Metropolitan Area
Zhan Peng, Tohoku University
Hiroyuki Iseki, University of Maryland

Analysis of Traffic Stops and Race in Maryland
Roumen Vesselinov, University of Maryland
Kartik Kaushik, University of Maryland, School of Medicine
Joseph Kufera, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Alicia Chavez, National Association of State EMS Officials
Komal Bhagat, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Ian Turner, University of Maryland, School of Medicine
Elena Vesselinov, Queens College

How Much Will the Detour Cost?: Impacts on Road Freight Transportation by the Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse
Yaobang Gong, University of Maryland, College Park
Kaitai Yang, University of Maryland
Yi Zhang, University of Maryland, College Park
Xianfeng Yang, University of Maryland, College Park
Di Yang, Morgan State University

Optimizing Vehicle Routing for Multi-Commodity Distribution with Route Redundancy
Jie Liu, Kunming Institute of Technology
Ying Zhao, Kunming Institute of Technology
Paul Schonfeld, University of Maryland, College Park
Mingwei He, Kunming Institute of Technology
Bo Du, Griffith University
Yue Xie, University of Cambridge

Lectern Session: Using Big Data for Rural Transportation Through the Regional Integrated Transportation Information System
Rick Ayers, University of Maryland

Lectern Session: Equity in Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure: A Case Study of Baltimore City
Nneoma Ugwu, University of Maryland, College Park
Chester Harvey, University of Maryland, College Park
Deb Niemeier, University of Maryland, College Park

Assessing Equity Shifts in Rural and Urban Infrastructure Funding After the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Through a Longitudinal Analysis of RAISE Grants
Qadri Shaheen, University of Maryland
Qingbin Cui, University of Maryland, College Park

Economic Impact Analysis of Uncrewed Aerial Systems for Bridge Inspections in HDC Counties: A Case Study in Kansas State
Man Liang, University of Maryland, College Park
Yunfeng Zhang, University of Maryland, College Park
Yize Li, University of Maryland, College Park
Qingbin Cui, University of Maryland, College Park

Capturing Emission Reductions Using Carbon Credits: The I-64 Case Study
Huan Zhou, University of Maryland, College Park
Qingbin Cui, University of Maryland, College Park

The Effectiveness of Gender Equity Initiatives in the USDOT Hiring Process: An Analysis from 2017 to 2021
Zahra Halimi, University of Maryland
Dongyang Zhen, University of Maryland
Qingbin Cui, University of Maryland, College Park

Assessing Disparities in Road Transport Services in Kenya: A GIS and Machine Learning Approach
Rishav Jaiswal, McMaster University
Manoj Jha, University of Maryland
Hellon Ogallo, Maryland State Highway Administration
A Archita, Indian Institute of Technology, Palakkad

How Does the Public Charging Network Fuel Plug-in Electric Vehicle Uptake?
Lavan Teja Burra, Purdue University
Cinzia Cirillo, University of Maryland
Joshua Linn, University of Maryland, College Park

Evaluating Commercial Origin-Destination Data: Insights from a Multi-Vendor Comparison in Virginia
Aliakbar Kabiri, University of Maryland, College Park
Zachary Vander Laan, University of Maryland, College Park
Stanley Young, Eastern Transportation Coalition

Development of a National Humped Rail Grade Crossing Database and Exploratory Dashboard
Przemyslaw Sekula, University of Maryland, College Park
A. M. Tahsin Emtenan, CATT Laboratory
Sara Zahedian, University of Maryland, College Park
Mark Franz, University of Maryland, College Park
Ateet Maharjan, CATT Laboratory

Development of a Functional Conflict-Based Safety Performance Function for Signalized Intersections Using the pNEUMA Data
Tianyu Shen, Morgan State University
Di Yang, Morgan State University
Kun Xie, Old Dominion University
Hong Yang, Old Dominion University
Xianfeng Yang, University of Maryland, College Park
Mansoureh Jeihani, Morgan State University

Data Quality Evaluation of Mobile Device Location Data: A Literature Review
Yixuan Pan, University of Maryland, College Park
Qianqian Sun, University of Maryland, College Park
Mohammad Ashoori, University of Maryland, College Park
Guangchen Zhao, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Aref Darzi, CATT Laboratory

Exploring Heterogeneity in Value of Time on Express Lanes from Passively Collected Big Data
Shihan Lin, University of Maryland, College Park
Erika Spissu, Transurban, Inc.
Cinzia Cirillo, University of Maryland

A Machine Learning Framework for Transportation Asset Management
Mohammad SafariTaherkhani, University of Maryland, College Park
Narjes Shayesteh, University of Maryland, College Park
Kaveh Farokhi Sadabadi, University of Maryland

A Study on Maryland Transit Administration Bus Service’s Stop-Level Reliability from an Equity Perspective Using Archived General Transit Feed Specification Real-Time Data
Mohammad Tanvir, Morgan State University
Joseph Aina, Morgan State University
Celeste Chavis, Morgan State University
Vanessa Frias-Martinez, University of Maryland, College Park
Gregory Newmark, Morgan State University
Shawn Campbell, Morgan State University

Stochastic Models for Airport Terminal Capacity Expansion Planning
Ziyue Li, Florida A&M University-Florida State University
Qianwen Guo, Florida A&M University-Florida State University
Paul Schonfeld, University of Maryland, College Park

A Conservative Car-Following Model Based on Adverse Weather Conditions
Kaitai Yang, University of Maryland
Yuan-Zheng Lei, University of Maryland, College Park
Yi Zhang, University of Maryland, College Park
Xianfeng Yang, University of Maryland, College Park

A Data-Driven Framework for Evaluating the Effectiveness of Traffic Safety Countermeasures
A. M. Tahsin Emtenan, CATT Laboratory
Rohan Aras, CATT Laboratory
Sara Zahedian, University of Maryland, College Park
Ateet Maharjan, CATT Laboratory
Mark Franz, University of Maryland, College Park

Tradable Equity Credits and Internalized Revenue Maximization: A Nonlinear Programming Model for Promoting Equitable Public Transit Services
Xin Wu, No Organization
Kailun Liu, Villanova University
Dongyang Zhen, University of Maryland
Ya Ji, University of Maryland
Xinshu Shang, No Organization
Qingbin Cui, University of Maryland, College Park
Chenfeng Xiong, Villanova University

Achieving Equity in Electric Vehicle Charging: Spatial and AI-Driven Evidence from Maryland
Dongyang Zhen, University of Maryland
Samrad Babaee, University of Maryland, College Park
Zahra Halimi, University of Maryland
Qingbin Cui, University of Maryland, College Park

ROADFIRST: A Comprehensive Enhancement of the Systemic Approach to Safety for Improved Risk Factor Identification and Evaluation
Shriyan Reyya, University of Maryland, College Park
Yao Cheng, Maryland Department of Transportation

A Potential Field-RRT-Star Algorithm for Mountain Railway Alignment Optimization Incorporating Environmental Suitability Analysis
Xinjie Wan, Central South University
Hao Pu, Central South University
Paul Schonfeld, University of Maryland, College Park
Yang Ran, Central South University
Taoran Song, Central South University
Wei Li, Central South University
Ting Hu, Central South University
Lihui Peng, China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group CO., LTD

Unveil Short-Term Traffic Change in Baltimore After Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse
Yaobang Gong, University of Maryland, College Park
Yi Zhang, University of Maryland, College Park
Kaitai Yang, University of Maryland
Sayantan Tarafdar, University of Maryland, College Park
Xianfeng Yang, University of Maryland, College Park
Di Yang, Morgan State University

Bridge the Distance: Surveying a Path Forward Post the Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse
Di Yang, Morgan State University
Tianyu Shen, Morgan State University
Mansoureh Jeihani, Morgan State University
Xianfeng Yang, University of Maryland, College Park
Shanjiang Zhu, George Mason University
Beyah Baylor, Morgan State University

Analyzing Car-Following Behavior Using an Empirical Prior Statistical Learning Framework
Kaitai Yang, University of Maryland
Yuan-Zheng Lei, University of Maryland, College Park
Xianfeng Yang, University of Maryland, College Park

Improving Highway Safety and Efficiency: Field Evaluation of New Debris Removal System
Yaobang Gong, University of Maryland, College Park
Sayantan Tarafdar, University of Maryland, College Park
Xianfeng Yang, University of Maryland, College Park

Quantifying the Impact of Complete Streets: An Elasticity-Based Approach to Mode Share Shifts in Travel Demand Models
Sevgi Erdogan, Syracuse University
Cinzia Cirillo, University of Maryland
Arefeh Nasri, Transportation Research Board
Javier Bas, No Organization
Mohammad Al-Khasawneh, University of Maryland, College Park
Mohammad Nejad, NA

A Machine Learning Framework for Enhancing Road Resilience
Mohammad SafariTaherkhani, University of Maryland, College Park
Narjes Shayesteh, University of Maryland, College Park
Kaveh Farokhi Sadabadi, University of Maryland

State Highway Infrastructure Financing Using Matching Funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Qingbin Cui, University of Maryland, College Park
Saeel Shrivallabh Pai, Purdue University
Samuel Labi, Purdue University
Deepak Benny, Purdue University

Driver's Attention and Cognitive Behavior: T-Consciousness Impact
Sepideh Eshragh, University of Maryland, College Park
Farzad Ahmadkhanlou, University of California, Irvine
Sina Mousavi, Cosmointel Research Center
Naghmeh Rezaie, University of Delaware
Mohammad Ali Taheri, Cosmointel Research Center

Published February 20, 2025