TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2024 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*

OFFICERS

CHAIR: Carol A. Lewis, Professor, Transportation Studies, Texas Southern University, Houston

VICE CHAIR: Leslie S. Richards, General Manager, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Philadelphia

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Victoria Sheehan, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC

MEMBERS

Michael F. Ableson, CEO, Arrival Automotive–North America, Detroit, MI

James F. Albaugh, President and CEO, The Boeing Company (retired), Scottsdale, AZ

Carlos M. Braceras, Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City

Douglas C. Ceva, Vice President, Customer Lead Solutions, Prologis, Inc., Jupiter, FL

Nancy Daubenberger, Commissioner of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul

Marie Therese Dominguez, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, Albany

Garrett Eucalitto, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Newington

Chris T. Hendrickson, Hamerschlag University Professor of Engineering Emeritus, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

Randell Iwasaki, President and CEO, Iwasaki Consulting Services, Walnut Creek, CA

Ashby Johnson, Executive Director, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), Austin, TX

Joel M. Jundt, Secretary of Transportation, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Pierre

Hani S. Mahmassani, W.A. Patterson Distinguished Chair in Transportation; Director, Transportation Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

Scott C. Marler, Director, Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames

Ricardo Martinez, Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, GA

Michael R. McClellan, Vice President, Strategic Planning, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Atlanta, GA

Russell McMurry, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta

Craig E. Philip, Research Professor and Director, VECTOR, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Steward T.A. Pickett, Distinguished Senior Scientist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY

Susan A. Shaheen, Professor and Co-director, Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California, Berkeley

Marc Williams, Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation, Austin

EX OFFICIO MEMBERS

Michael R. Berube, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC

Amit Bose, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC

Tristan Brown, Deputy Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC

Steven Cliff, Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board, Sacramento

Rand Ghayad, Senior Vice President, Association of American Railroads, Washington, DC

LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Germantown, MD

Robert C. Hampshire, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC

Jason Kelly, Deputy Commanding General for Civil Works and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC

Zahra “Niloo” Parvinashtiani, Engineer, Mobility Consultant Solutions, Iteris Inc., Fairfax, VA, and Chair, TRB Young Members Coordinating Council

Ann Phillips (Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy, retired), Maritime Administrator, Maritime Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC

Sophie Shulman, Deputy Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, DC

Karl Simon, Director, Transportation and Climate Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC

Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC

Polly Trottenberg, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC

Jim Tymon, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC

Veronica Vanterpool, Acting Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC

Michael Whitaker, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC

Kristin White, Acting Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC

Vinn White, Deputy Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Washington, DC

___________________

^* Membership as of November 2024.

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM

Knowledge Management at State
Departments of Transportation

RESEARCH ROADMAP

Frances D. Harrison
Connor Brown
SPY POND PARTNERS, LLC
Arlington, MA

Kristen Adams
Tanisha Hall
FAIRPOINTE PLANNING, LLC
Nashville, TN

Subscriber Categories
Administration and Management • Policy • Research (about research)

Research sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM

Systematic, well-designed, and implementable research is the most effective way to solve many problems facing state departments of transportation (DOTs) administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local or regional interest and can best be studied by state DOTs individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation results in increasingly complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research.

Recognizing this need, the leadership of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in 1962 initiated an objective national highway research program using modern scientific techniques—the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). NCHRP is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of AASHTO and receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), United States Department of Transportation, under Agreement No. 693JJ31950003.

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine was requested by AASHTO to administer the research program because of TRB’s recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. TRB is uniquely suited for this purpose for many reasons: TRB maintains an extensive committee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; TRB possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, universities, and industry; TRB’s relationship to the National Academies is an insurance of objectivity; and TRB maintains a full-time staff of specialists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those in a position to use them.

The program is developed on the basis of research needs identified by chief administrators and other staff of the highway and transportation departments, by committees of AASHTO, and by the FHWA. Topics of the highest merit are selected by the AASHTO Special Committee on Research and Innovation (R&I), and each year R&I’s recommendations are proposed to the AASHTO Board of Directors and the National Academies. Research projects to address these topics are defined by NCHRP, and qualified research agencies are selected from submitted proposals. Administration and surveillance of research contracts are the responsibilities of the National Academies and TRB.

The needs for highway research are many, and NCHRP can make significant contributions to solving highway transportation problems of mutual concern to many responsible groups. The program, however, is intended to complement, rather than to substitute for or duplicate, other highway research programs.

NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1134

Project 23-14
ISSN 2572-3766 (Print)
ISSN 2572-3774 (Online)
ISBN 978-0-309-73190-4
Library of Congress Control Number 2024950817
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/28598

© 2025 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein.

Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP.

NOTICE

The research report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; the FHWA; or the program sponsors.

The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.

The Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and the sponsors of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names or logos appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.

Published research reports of the

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM

are available from

National Academies Press
500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360
Washington, DC 20001

(800) 624-6242

and can be ordered through the Internet by going to
https://nap.nationalacademies.org

Printed in the United States of America

The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. John L. Anderson is president.

The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president.

The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.

Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.

The Transportation Research Board is one of seven major program divisions of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to mobilize expertise, experience, and knowledge to anticipate and solve complex transportation-related challenges. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 8,500 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state departments of transportation, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation.

Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.

COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS

CRP STAFF FOR NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1134

Monique R. Evans, Director, Cooperative Research Programs

Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs, and Manager, National Cooperative Highway Research Program

David M. Jared, Senior Program Officer

Dajaih Bias-Johnson, Senior Program Assistant

Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications

Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications

Dominique Williams, Editor

NCHRP PROJECT 23-14 PANEL
Field of Administration—Area of Agency Administration

Leni Oman, Washington State Department of Transportation, Olympia, WA (Chair)

Benjamin C. Anyacho, Texas Department of Transportation, Austin, TX

Steven Buckley, JEO Consulting Group, Topeka, KS

Kendra K. Levine, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

John M. Mason, Jr., Pooler, GA

Rick A. Smith, Arora and Associates, P.C., Yulee, FL

Sue Zheng, Florida Department of Transportation, Gainesville, FL

Elizabeth Hoffman, FHWA Liaison

King W. Gee, AASHTO Liaison

FOREWORD

By David M. Jared
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board

NCHRP Research Report 1134: Knowledge Management at State Departments of Transportation: Research Roadmap presents a research roadmap for promoting knowledge management (KM) among state departments of transportation (DOTs) and other transportation agencies. The roadmap consists of 11 research problem statements covering a broad set of research needs that agencies at different stages of readiness for conducting KM research can undertake to support their KM programs. The roadmap should be of particular use to state DOTs and any other transportation agency seeking to understand KM and identify relevant research needs to help promote and develop KM within their organization.

In most state DOTs, a significant portion of the workforce continues to be eligible for retirement, which could lead to a loss of institutional knowledge. Collaboration and interdisciplinary work are also increasing the need for effective, efficient, and timely knowledge transfer. State DOTs and other transportation agencies could benefit from KM techniques and practices to help identify, capture, and transfer institutional knowledge and support continuous learning. KM continues to evolve, particularly in the understanding of factors such as cognitive science, learning cultures, and knowledge risk. Some research has been conducted on KM and institutional knowledge in the transportation sector; however, KM is still a new practice in that context. Previous NCHRP research provided guidelines on the fundamentals of agency-wide KM for state DOTs and examples from outside of the transportation sector on how to begin building a KM function within an organization. However, a national research roadmap on KM to support state DOTs and other transportation agencies has not yet been developed. Ultimately, such a roadmap could identify and prioritize the KM needs of transportation agencies and provide the foundation for the maturation of the KM practice.

Under NCHRP Project 23-14, “Research Roadmap for Knowledge Management,” Spy Pond Partners, LLC, was asked to develop a research roadmap for KM at state DOTs and other transportation agencies. The roadmap design needed to include a systematic revisiting of research priorities to guide the research and ensure its future relevance. The roadmap design also needed to include the following elements: (1) a description of research that should be conducted within the next 5 years; (2) 10 or more research problem statements suitable for submittal to NCHRP; (3) the identification of relevant, active, and completed research that could benefit from a focused implementation effort; (4) implementation plans; and (5) the prioritization of all research recommendations. A total of 11 research problem statements were developed: six for full research projects and five for implementation projects. The research problem statements are accompanied by communication and process management

plans to foster implementation, with the roadmap indicating why each research need is critical, why it is important to state DOTs, and how these agencies could implement the results.

In addition to NCHRP Research Report 1134, the following deliverables can be found on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacademies.org) by searching for NCHRP Research Report 1134: Knowledge Management at State Departments of Transportation: Research Roadmap:

1. A research brief summarizing the project objectives, scope, and deliverables;
2. A PowerPoint presentation on the communications plan to foster the dissemination of the roadmap; and
3. Four summaries of the problem statements that constitute the roadmap.

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Existing KM Research

2.1 What Is KM Research?

2.2 KM Foundation Studies

2.3 General KM Research Themes

2.4 Prior and Current Research on KM in Transportation

Chapter 3 Future KM RNs

3.1 KM Research Roadmap Purpose

3.2 Barriers to KM Adoption and Effectiveness

3.3 Research to Address Barriers to KM Adoption

Chapter 4 The KM Research Roadmap

4.1 Research Roadmap Organization

4.2 Relationship of Proposed Research to Current and Completed Research

4.3 Tagging of RNs and RPSs

4.4 Overview of RNs and RPSs

4.5 Timing and Sequencing of Research Projects

References

Appendix A Literature Review

Appendix B Stakeholder Engagement Activities

Appendix C Research Needs

Appendix D Problem Statements

Appendix E Communication Plan

Appendix F Roadmap Management Plan

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