Overcoming Barriers to Implementing Research Outcomes (2026)
Chapter: Front Matter
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2026 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
OFFICERS
Chair:Joel M. Jundt,Secretary of Transportation, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Pierre
Vice Chair:Randell Iwasaki,President and CEO, Iwasaki Consulting Services, Walnut Creek, CA
Executive Director:Ann M. Brach,Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC
MEMBERS
James F. Albaugh,President and CEO, The Boeing Company (retired), Scottsdale, AZ
Marsha Anderson Bomar,Strategic Transportation Advisor, GHD, Duluth, GA
Nancy Daubenberger,Commissioner of Transportation, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul
Garrett Eucalitto,Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Newington
Andrew Fremier,Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco, CA
Martha Grabowski,Distinguished Senior Research Scientist, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
Edward Hassinger,Director, Missouri Department of Transportation, Jefferson City
Shante Hastings,Cabinet Secretary, Delaware Department of Transportation, Dover
Carol A. Lewis,Professor, Transportation Studies, Texas Southern University, Houston
Ricardo Martinez,Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Decatur, 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
Leslie S. Richards,Professor of Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Tracy Larkin Thomason,Director, Nevada Department of Transportation, Carson City
Marc Williams,Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation, Austin
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Derek Barrs,Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Steven G. Bradbury,Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Stephen Carmel,Administrator, U.S. Maritime Administration, Washington, DC
Tara Cavalline,Professor, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and Chair, TRB Technical Activities Council
David Fink,Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC
Firas Ibrahim,Director, Office of Research, Development, and Technology, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, Washington, DC
Jason Kelly,Deputy Commanding General for Civil Works and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
Sandra Knight,President, WaterWonks, LLC, Washington, DC, and Chair, TRB Marine Board
Sean McMaster,Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC
Jonathan Morrison,Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Seval Oz,Senior Advisor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, Washington, DC
Niloo Parvinashtiani,Engineer, Mobility Consultant Solutions, Iteris Inc., Fairfax, VA, and Chair, TRB Young Participants Council
Jamie Pfister,Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC
Paul Roberti,Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Paul P. Skoutelas,President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
Jim Tymon,Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC
_______________________
* Membership as of May 2026.
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
NCHRP RESEARCH REPORT 1179
Overcoming Barriers to Implementing Research Outcomes
Britton Johnson
Regina Nguyen
Angelina Caggiano
Kyla DʼSa
Kimley-Horn
Boston, MA
Stephanie Ivey
Anthony Dontoh
University of Memphis
Memphis, TN
Dallas Hammit
WSP USA
Phoenix, AZ
Subscriber Categories
Administration and Management • Research (about Research)
Research sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration
2026
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
Systematic, well-designed, and implementable research is the most effective way to solve many problems facing state department of transportation (DOT) 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.
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 TRBʼs 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; TRBʼs 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&Iʼs recommendations are proposed to the AASHTO Board of Directors, the FHWA, 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 oversight of research contracts are the responsibilities of NCHRP.
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 1179
Project 20-44(49)
ISSN 2572-3766 (Print)
ISSN 2572-3774 (Online)
ISBN 978-0-309-60634-9
Library of Congress Control Number 2026942122
© 2026 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 originality and accuracy 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.
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) grants permission to reproduce written material in this publication for classroom and non-commercial purposes subject to the rights of any third parties and appropriate attribution. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply NAS, TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. For other uses of the written material, users must request permission from the National Academies Press.
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.
This material is based upon work supported by the FHWA under Agreement No. 693JJ32350025. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed or implied in this document 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
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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. Tsu-Jae Liu is president.
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Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.
The Transportation Research Board is one of four centers 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 Boardʼs varied activities annually engage more than 5,500 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 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 1179
Monique R. Evans,Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Waseem Dekelbab,Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs, and Manager, National Cooperative Highway Research Program
Sid Mohan,NCHRP Associate Program Manager for Implementation and Technology Transfer
Kevin L. Padilla,Senior Program Assistant
Natalie Barnes,Director of Publications
Brian Haefs,Associate Director of Publications
Janet M. McNaughton,Senior Editor
NCHRP PROJECT 20-44(49) PANEL
Field of Special Projects
A. Emily Parkany,Vermont Agency of Transportation, Barre, VT (Chair)
Stephanie Carbone Bolyard,North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Raleigh, NC
Natane Brennfleck,California Department of Transportation, Sacramento, CA
Adam Cohen,University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Ana Fill,Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Boston, MA
Tyson D. Rupnow,Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Baton Rouge, LA
Jason Tuck,Florida Department of Transportation, Tallahassee, FL
Catherine Margaret Walker,Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul, MN
Mary Huie,FHWA Liaison
AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This toolkit was developed as part of NCHRP Project 20-44(49), “Research Implementation—Strategies for Overcoming Barriers,” with the goal of equipping state departments of transportation with practical frameworks and strategies to support the successful implementation of research outcomes. This work builds upon a strong foundation of prior research and implementation literature that informed and shaped our approach.
The success of this effort reflects the collective contributions of many. The Kimley-Horn research team gratefully acknowledges the attendees of our two peer exchanges that led to the refinement of this toolkitʼs content, Kimley-Horn colleagues who provided valuable insight, and the many other stakeholders who participated in project surveys and interviews.
FOREWORD
By Sid Mohan
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
NCHRP Research Report 1179: Overcoming Barriers to Implementing Research Outcomes presents frameworks to help plan the implementation of research and address common barriers faced by state departments of transportation (DOTs). The report is based on a review of existing literature, input from stakeholders, and repeated feedback from state DOT staff. It is intended for DOT research managers, technical champions, and others involved in applying research results in practice.
State DOTs define research implementation differently, which leads to inconsistent definitions for quantifying successful implementation and the use of different methods to identify challenges. Even with a broad definition of implementation and despite efforts to improve implementation of research outcomes across state DOTs, there are still significant implementation gaps relative to the number of research projects completed. There is limited understanding of the extent to which research projects are implemented at state DOTs, lack of enough information about why some research projects are not implemented, and lack of knowledge on the steps that can be taken to improve the implementation of research relative to existing state DOT practices. Research was needed to understand the specific roadblocks to research implementation and the extent to which state DOT research programs are impacted.
Under NCHRP Project 20-44(49), “Research Implementation—Strategies for Overcoming Barriers,” Kimley-Horn was tasked with developing (a) a research implementation toolkit for state DOTs that would identify barriers to implementation of transportation research projects; (b) tools and methods to mitigate those barriers; and (c) strategies for stakeholders to improve implementation of research outcomes and maximize impact. The research included
- A literature review that synthesized key findings and best practices regarding the state of practice, barriers, organizational frameworks, and measures of effectiveness related to research implementation at state DOTs and in parallel industries.
- Stakeholder outreach to set a baseline for DOT experience with research programs, identify key differentiators between successful and unsuccessful implementation efforts, collect specific case studies, and document best practices.
- Development of a draft research implementation toolkit that included resources to address prominent gaps associated with research implementation.
- Conduct of two peer exchanges focused on improving the robustness and applicability of the toolkit for a wider variety of agencies as well as on developing participants into champions who would implement the research implementation toolkit.
In addition to NCHRP Research Report 1179, a conduct of research report and an overview presentation on NCHRP Project 20-44(49) are available on the project page at https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5421.
CONTENTS
Barriers to Research Implementation
Chapter 2 The Implementation Roadmap
Chapter 3 Implementation Frameworks
Chapter 4 Implementation Best Practices
Appendix A Implementation Plans
Appendix B Deliverable Formats
Appendix C Working Backwards Toward Implementation
Appendix D Strategies for Engaging Project Champions and Technical Advisory Committees
