Keith Knapp

About Keith

Dr. Knapp has more than 25 years of experience in transportation-related consulting, research, and training. The Iowa Local Technical Assistance Program develops training and technology transfer related to all aspects of the transportation profession for local agencies within the state. At the Institute for Transportation, Dr. Knapp has and continues to complete application- and outreach-oriented research related to the safety and operational impacts of roadway design and environmental characteristics (e.g., intersections, horizontal curves, cross sections, signing, etc.). The majority of this research has resulted in recommendations or tools to assist in the implementation of the factors being considered.

Previously, Dr. Knapp was the Director of Transportation Safety Engineering at the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety at the University of Minnesota and was an assistant professor of engineering professional development at the University of Wisconsin. He has developed and been an instructor for a many local, state, and national training courses with a wide range of subjects, such as intersection design, roundabouts, rural roadway design, etc. He is a registered professional engineer in five states.

Resume

Education

PhD, Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 1997
ME, Civil Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1989
BS, Civil Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1988

Professional Experience

Director, Iowa Local Technical Assistance Program, Institute for Transportation, Iowa State University, 2010–present
Director of Transportation Safety Engineering, Center for Excellence in Rural Safety, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 2008–2010
Assistant Professor of Engineering Professional Development, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 2008–2010
Associate Research Scientist, Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University, 2006–2007
Assistant Professor, Engineering Professional Development and Program Director, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2001–2006
Assistant Professor, Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University, 1998–2000
Graduate Research/Teaching Assistant, Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, 1994–1997
Transportation Engineer, CH2M Hill, Inc., Chicago, IL and Detroit, MI, 1990–1993, 1998
Transportation Engineer, McDonough & Scully, Inc., Natick, MA, 1989–1990

Selected Research and Outreach

Principal investigator as a subcontractor for the National Center for Rural Road Safety. Will be involved in the future with a series of workshops related to rural road safety.
Principal investigator for the development of the Federal Highway Administration informational guide on road diets and ongoing technical transfer. Also principal investigator on an ongoing Iowa Highway Research Board project developing guidance on traffic sign effectiveness, installation, and removal.
Principal investigator for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation project to complete an initial statewide systematic evaluation of intersection and run-off-the-road crash locations. Created a “first-step” tool to apply crash summary information.
Principal investigator for projects related to the impact analysis and creation of guidelines for the conversion of four-lane undivided urban roadways to three-lanes and the creation of a traffic and safety informational series.
Participated in roadway safety audits of expressway intersections and arterial corridors. Assisted in the completion and explanation of the audit documentation.
Developed, improved, and/or offered numerous publicly advertised professional development courses connected to intersection design and safety: Improving Intersections for Safety and Efficiency, Designing and Implementing Roundabouts, Urban Street Design, and Rehabilitating Two-Lane Rural Roadways.
Principal investigator on a project that focused on the evaluation of systemic safety improvement risk factors.

Selected Publications

S. Hallmark, T. Mcdonald, R. Sperry, and K. K. Knapp. 2012. Field Application and Assessment of the Safety Edge. Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting Compendium, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, 2012.
K. K. Knapp. 2011. Reducing Crash Fatalities on Rural Roadways: Estimating Impacts of Legislation-Based Safety Improvement Measures. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2213.
C. Kienert and K. K. Knapp. 2006. Older Driver Crash Experience at High-Speed Intersections. Institute of Transportation Engineers Annual Meeting Compendium, Institute of Transportation Engineers, Washington, DC, August 2006.
J. Campbell and K. K. Knapp. 2005. Geometric Categories as Intersection Safety Evaluation Tools. Proceedings of the Mid-Continent Transportation Research Symposium, Center for Transportation Research and Education, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, August 2005.
J. Campbell and K. K. Knapp. 2005. Alternative Crash Severity Measures and the Implications on Intersection Ranking Results. Proceedings of the Mid-Continent Transportation Research Symposium, Center for Transportation Research and Education, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, August 2005.
K. K. Knapp, D. Walker, and E. Wilson. 2003. Challenges and Strategies for Local Road Safety Training and Technology Transfer. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1819.

Professional Affiliations, Honors and Service

Institute of Transportation Engineers
Member, Transportation Research Board Intersection Joint Subcommittee
Member (Invited), Transportation Research Board Committee: Low Volume Roads
Registered Professional Engineer in Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin