NLR Showcases Integrated Transportation Research at Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting

Research Takes a Whole-System, Data-Driven Approach to Mobility Challenges

Jan. 12, 2026 | By Julia Thomas | Contact media relations

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The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) is presenting its transportation and mobility research at the 105th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), Jan. 11–15, 2026, in Washington, D.C. The meeting brings together thousands of transportation professionals from government, industry, and academia and features sessions and workshops across all transportation modes.

NLR applies a whole-system, integrated approach to improving transportation affordability, reliability, and safety. Researchers will present the laboratory’s latest studies and innovations during poster and lectern sessions.

Broad Portfolio of Transportation Research

NLR is showcasing research spanning a wide range of transportation topics, including:

• Intelligent transportation systems: Covering traffic operations and monitoring, sensor-based traffic analytics, congestion mitigation and traffic flow efficiency, automated vehicle movement classification, and assessment of perception sensors
• Freight movement: Modeling national freight demands and trends using an open-source agent-based freight model
• Emerging vehicle technologies: Examining sector-specific adoption patterns of advanced and autonomous vehicles, analysis of public sentiment toward autonomous vehicles, and on-demand transit service access
• Electric vehicle charging infrastructure: Assessing system reliability along long-distance corridors, benchmarking project timelines, and evaluating workplace charging access.

Mobility Advancement Through Data-Driven Insights

Through its participation in the TRB Annual Meeting, NLR continues to collaborate with researchers, agencies, and industry partners to advance practical, data-driven solutions that address today’s transportation challenges while supporting long-term system performance.

“At NLR, we approach transportation as an interconnected system,” said Chris Gearhart, director of NLR’s Center for Integrated Mobility Sciences. “Our research combines data, modeling, and analysis to provide unbiased insights that help decision makers evaluate options across mobility, infrastructure, and energy systems.”

Learn more about NLR's transportation and mobility research and sign up for the NLR transportation and mobility research newsletter to stay current on the latest developments.