TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2025 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*

OFFICERS

CHAIR: Leslie S. Richards, Professor of Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

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

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

MEMBERS

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

Andrew Fremier, Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco, CA

Martha Grabowski, Professor Emerita, Information Systems, Le Moyne College, Madden College of Business & Economics, Cazenovia, NY

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

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

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

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

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

Bryan Bedford, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, DC

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

Tariq Bokhari, Acting Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC

Steven G. Bradbury, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC

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

Drew Feeley, Acting Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC

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

Firas Ibrahim, Director, Office of Research, Development, and Technology, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), 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

Ben Kochman, Acting Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Washington, DC

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

Gloria Shepherd, Acting Deputy Administrator, Federal Highway 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

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

Sang Yi, Acting Administrator, U.S. Maritime Administration, Washington, DC

___________________

^* Membership as of August 2025.

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM

Risk Management at State DOTs

BUILDING MOMENTUM AND SUSTAINING THE PRACTICE

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.
Dallas, TX

Cambridge Systematics
Medford, MA

Subscriber Categories
Planning and Forecasting • Highways • Administration and Management

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 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 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, 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 1146

Project 08-151
ISSN 2572-3766 (Print)
ISSN 2572-3774 (Online)
ISBN 978-0-309-99340-1
Library of Congress Control Number 2025941431

© 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 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

are available from

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and can be ordered through the Internet by going to
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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. Tsu-Jae Liu 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 1146

Monique R. Evans, Director, Cooperative Research Programs

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

Jennifer Libby Weeks, Senior Program Officer

Anthony P. Avery, Senior Program Assistant

Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications

Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications

Kami Cabral, Editor

NCHRP PROJECT 08-151 PANEL
Field of Transportation Planning—Area of Planning Methods & Processes

Travis McGrath, Foth Infrastructure and Environmental, De Pere, WI (Chair)

Margaret-Avis Akofio-Sowah, WSP, Washington, DC

David Bierling, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, Houston, TX

Regina Colson, Florida Department of Transportation, Tallahassee, FL

Michael S. Fleming, Washington State Department of Transportation, Olympia, WA

Zoe Neaderland, Vermont Agency of Transportation, Barre, VT

Jean M. Wallace, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul, MN

Daniel L. Fodera, FHWA Liaison

FOREWORD

By Jennifer Libby Weeks
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board

NCHRP Research Report 1146: Risk Management at State DOTs: Building Momentum and Sustaining the Practice provides guidelines for state departments of transportation (DOTs) to establish and maintain a risk management culture and practice. Included in the report are a detailed summary of relevant literature, the contents and results of a practitioner survey and industry workshop, and four agency case studies illustrating successful practices for establishing and maintaining risk management in practice. The report will be useful to state DOT executives and agency practitioners seeking to develop and sustain a risk management culture and practice at their organizations.

The transportation industry continues to face a range of unforeseen and evolving challenges to transportation assets and operations that affect the performance and resilience of transportation systems and networks. For example, significant disruptions to supply chains and traffic patterns were outcomes of the unanticipated collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland. These disruptions substantially affected the performance of the region’s transportation network as well as the regional economy, local communities, and international goods movement. The frequency and significance of such unexpected events have led transportation agencies to seek strategies for creating and sustaining a resilient state DOT culture and set of practices.

Under NCHRP Project 08-151, “Risk Management at State DOTs: Building Momentum and Sustaining the Practice,” Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. was asked to develop content on how to implement and sustain the use of formal risk management at state DOTs. Research included extensive stakeholder engagement to develop content that is responsive to industry challenges and opportunities for building a risk management culture and practice at state DOTs. A concept was also developed for organizing and posting the report guidelines on the AASHTO Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Portal.

In addition to NCHRP Research Report 1146, the following supplemental materials are available on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacadmies.org) by searching for NCHRP Research Report 1146: Risk Management at State DOTs: Building Momentum and Sustaining the Practice:

• An Executive Summary of NCHRP Research Report 1146,
• A PowerPoint presentation to support implementation by state DOT staff,
• A checklist for assessing agency maturity in risk management, and
• Appendices E through H, which contain the risk management case studies.

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CONTENTS

Summary

Introduction

Background

Objective

Organization of This Report

Project Activities—Phase I

Practitioner Survey

Targeted Literature Review and Gap Assessment

Industry Roundtable

Project Activities—Phase II

Deep-Dive Case Studies

Digital Content Workshop

Key Findings

Culture of Risk and Organizational Change

Process Improvement

Communication and Promotion

Data, Tools, and Risk Quantification

Digital Content and Website

Priorities for Future Research

Bibliography and References

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Appendix A Practitioner Survey Summary

Appendix B Literature Review

Appendix C Gap Assessment

Appendix D Industry Roundtable Summary

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