Keith Knapp

About Keith

Dr. Keith 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 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, 1997
ME, Civil Engineering, Cornell University, 1989
BS, Civil Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1988

Certifications

Professional Engineer (PE) Licenses in Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin

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
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 Technology Transfer Experience

Organized, developed, administrated and/or moderated approximately 100 outreach events annually as director of the Iowa LTAP.
Led a project that investigated work zone training in Iowa and offered approaches for the future application of these technical outreach efforts in the future.
Developed a series of trainings and workshops related to rural road safety (subcontractor for the National Center for Rural Road Safety). Role: PI.
Organized the development of a Federal Highway Administration informational guide on road diets and ongoing technical transfer. Role: PI.
Led an Iowa Highway Research Board project that developed guidance on traffic sign effectiveness, installation, and removal. Role: PI.
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.
Headed on a project that focused on the evaluation of systemic safety improvement risk factors. Role: PI.

Selected Publications

Knapp, K. K., and P. Albritton. 2021. Evaluation and Preparation for Future Work Zone Safety Workshops. Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames, IA.
Knapp, K. K., and D. Veneziano. 2021. Speed Feedback Sign Loan Program. Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames, IA.
Veneziano, D., and K. K. Knapp. 2018. Development of Iowa Road Safety Assessment (RSA) Guidelines. Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames, IA.
Oneyear, N., and K. K. Knapp. 2017. Development Materials for a Local Maintenance Personnel Rural Road Safety Recognition Program. National Rural Road Safety Center, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT.
Albritton, P., and K. K. Knapp, K. 2017. Small City Work Zone Sign Package Program. Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames, IA.
Hallmark, S., 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.
Knapp, K. K. 2011. Reducing Crash Fatalities on Rural Roadways: Estimating Impacts of Legislation-Based Safety Improvement Measures. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, Vol. 2213.
Kienert, C., 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.
Campbell, J., and K. K. Knapp. 2005. Geometric Categories as Intersection Safety Evaluation Tools. , Mid-Continent Transportation Research Symposium, Iowa State University, Ames, IA.
Campbell, J., and K. K. Knapp. 2005. Alternative Crash Severity Measures and the Implications on Intersection Ranking Results. , Mid-Continent Transportation Research Symposium, Iowa State University, Ames, IA.