Daniel J. Findley, PhD, PE

Dr. Daniel Findley, P.E., is an Associate Director with the Institute for Transportation Research and Education at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. He specializes in economic impact analysis, multi-modal transportation, human behavior research, and transportation engineering studies. He served as Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI on over 150 funded projects with a total budget amount of over $30 million and has conducted research for sponsors including NCDOT, FHWA, ACRP, FAA, NHI, ITE, and others. He holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University and is a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) in North Carolina. He also serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at NC State University.  Dr. Findley has studied many of the modes of travel including aviation, bicycle, ferry, highway, pedestrian, port, and railroad.

Dr. Findley was an author for Highway Engineering - Planning, Design, and Operations, the 2nd edition of the ITE Manual of Transportation Studies, and Chapter 4 of the 7th edition of the ITE Traffic Engineering Handbook. Dr. Findley has authored or co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and has given numerous presentations at local, state, national, and international audiences. Dr. Findley manages three education programs, including a Professional Engineering (PE) exam review course, a Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam review course, and the Highway Engineering Concepts (HEC) course. 

The following list contains selected relevant publications from Dr. Findley’s research focus areas:

Economic Assessment of Transportation Assets 

• Economic Contribution of the American Airlines CLT Hub: How the American Airlines Hub at Charlotte Douglas International Airport Contributes to North Carolina's Economy (2025)

• The Economic Contribution of Merrill Field Airport (2025)

• The Economic Contribution of Bentonville Municipal Airport (Thaden Field) (2025)

• State of Aviation (2025)

• Public Perceptions of Transportation Fees, Taxes, and Electric Vehicles in North Carolina (2024)

• Economic Contribution of North Carolina’s Supply Chain (2024)

• National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) Fact Sheets and Data Book (2024)

• ACRP Synthesis 125: Communication, Implementation, and Outcomes of Airport Economic Impact Studies (2023)

• Rail Economic Contribution Study (2023)

• State of Aviation (2023)

• Trail Benefits - Evaluating the Economic, Physical Health, and Environmental Impacts of Completing Six Key Segments of the Carolina Thread Trail (2022)

• Public Perceptions of Transportation Fees, Taxes, and Electric Vehicles in North Carolina (2022)

• Economic Impacts of Mobility Investments in Mecklenburg County and the Benefits to the Charlotte Region (2021)

• Economic Contribution of the North Carolina Ports (2021) 

• North Carolina State Highway Cost Allocation and Revenue Attribution Study (2021)

• State of Aviation (2021)

• Public Perceptions of Transportation Fees and Taxes in North Carolina (2021)

• Comprehensive Cost of Rail Incidents in North Carolina (2021)

• Modernizing North Carolina’s Infrastructure Through Sustainable and Diversified Revenue Streams (2020)

• Economic Contribution of the North Carolina Ferry System (2020)

• Public Perceptions of Transportation Fees and Taxes in North Carolina (2019)

• State of Aviation (2019)

• Evaluating the Economic Impact of Shared Use Paths in North Carolina (2018)

• North Carolina Ports: 2018 Economic Impact Study (2018)

• Analysis and Validation of Historical Transportation Investments (2018)

• An Economic Impact Study: How the Middle Fork Greenway will strengthen the economy of Watauga County, Blowing Rock, and Boone (2017)

• Economic Impacts and Feasibility of Reestablishing a Rail Connection between the RJ Corman Line and the Port of Wilmington (2017)

• Economic Impact of Airfield Construction Project at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (2017)

• Southwest High Point Greenway Economic Impact Study (2016)

• Analysis of the Economic Impacts of Extending the Runway at Rowan County Airport (2016)

• Economic Impacts of a North Carolina Intermodal Facility - An Analysis of Regional and Statewide Effects (2016)

• Economic Impact of Aviation Services Expansion Project at Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport (2016)

• Economic Contribution of North Carolina Airports (2016) 

• Benefits for State-Supported Passenger Rail Services in North Carolina (2015) 

• Fiscal Impact of Strategic Investments at Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport (2015) 

• Economic Benefits of Transit (2015) 

• Diversifying Revenues to Improve Commerce and Economic Prosperity (2014)

• Economic Contribution of the North Carolina Ports (2014) 

• Bridging the Gap – Economic, Health, and Transportation Impacts from Completing a Critical Link in a 22-mile Rail Trail (2014) 

• Fiscal Impact of Strategic Investments at Piedmont Triad International Airport (2014) 

• Economic Contribution of Airports in North Carolina (2012) 

• Economic Contribution of the North Carolina Ports (2011) 

• Benchmarking and Optimization of the North Carolina Ferry System (2010) 

• Economic Effects of Access Management Techniques in North Carolina (2010)

• Benefit/Cost Analysis for Planning Highway Projects (2007) 

• Economic Impact of Airports in North Carolina (2006) 

Logistics and Economic Development 

• Rural Freight Transportation Needs (2020)

• North Carolina: The State of Aviation - A Synthesis of Industries and Infrastructure (2017)

• National Review of Aerospace Industry Incentives (2014) 

• Diversifying Revenues to Improve Commerce and Economic Prosperity 

• Seven Portals Study – An Investigation of How Economic Development Can be Encouraged in North Carolina Through Infrastructure Investment (Comprehensive Report - 2011) 

• Seven Portals Study – An Investigation of Economic Development in North Carolina Through Logistics Villages (Advantage West Region - 2011) 

• Statewide Logistics Plan for North Carolina (2008) 

Motor Vehicle Administration and Optimization

• Opportunities for Modernizing and Improving NCDMV Operations (2024)

• North Carolina License Plate Production (2019)

• AAMVA Best Practices Guide for Improving Automated License Plate Reader Effectiveness through Uniform License Plate Design and Manufacture [our report is in Appendix F starting on page 86] (2012)

• Conducted by Colleagues at ITRE:

  • A Study of the Usage of LPAs by NCDMV

  • Improving Customer Service inside LPA Offices

Horizontal Curves 

• Collecting Horizontal Curve Data: Mobile Asset Vehicles and Other Techniques 

• Applying the Highway Safety Manual to Two-Lane Road Curves 

• Finding and Measuring Horizontal Curves in a Large Highway Network: A GIS Approach 

• Modeling the Impact of Spatial Relationships on Horizontal Curve Safety 

• Evaluation of GIS Applications for Horizontal Curve Data Collection 

• Influence of Calibration Factors on Crash Prediction on Rural Two-Lane Two-Way Roadway Segments

• Calibration of Inertial Consistency Models on North Carolina Two-Lane Rural Roads

Asset Management and Inventory 

• Retaining Wall Field Condition Inspection, Rating Analysis, and Condition Assessment 

• Improved Asset Management and Inventory Development Through Sample Analysis and Vendor-Client Communication 

• Considerations for Effective LiDAR Deployment by Transportation Agencies 

• Public Opinions of Roadway Assets: Roadway Review as a New Survey Method 

• Structural and Safety Investigation of Statewide Weathered Steel Beam Guardrail Performance in North Carolina 

• Finding and Measuring Horizontal Curves in a Large Highway Network: A GIS Approach 

• Comparison of Mobile and Manual Data Collection for Roadway Components