TLN will be dedicated to excellence in service in the following areas: 1) technology transfer, 2) innovative transportation practices, 3) new processes, initiatives and technology and 4) being the ideal one-stop source for supplemental learning within the DOTs.

Due to the geographic nature and related travel costs of the member states, and the cities and counties within these states, many technical topics and innovations would not be delivered or would be delivered to only a small percentage of the staff within these states. TLN is a critical tool in assuring technology transfer to member states, counties, and cities, and that they stay abreast of the latest innovations, initiatives, and research which helps them be more efficient and cost-effective.

Through the proposed pooled fund (TLN), the member states plan to research and deliver needed technology transfer topics via distance-based and on-demand methods. On an annual basis, the pooled fund members will develop and identify new topics of technology transfer through coordination of state DOT’s and Local Technical Assistance Programs (LTAP). The process will involve an annual assessment of each state’s need for new insights in the areas of construction, design, structures, environmental, maintenance, materials, planning and safety. Additionally, the TLN pool will be aimed at delivering innovative insights into transportation infrastructure management through Every-Day-Counts initiatives. Each year, topics will be proposed and prioritized by the member states and given to TLN for development and delivery. The latest advances in technical programming and innovations from other organizations will also be evaluated for TLN delivery. These organizations will include other DOT’s, universities, industry groups such as ATSSA, AASHTO TC3, National Center for Pavement Preservation, Asphalt Institute, AGC, USDA, and others. Technology and best practices exchanges among states will be supported through multi-state roundtable discussions on topics relating to design, construction, maintenance, and materials. The state DOT’s will annually prioritize the roundtable topics based on their current and emerging needs. The intent of the roundtable topics is to discuss the best practices, techniques, innovations, successes, failures and recommendations of each state so awareness and implementation insights can be gained by other states. Technology transfer presentations will be delivered in the most appropriate distance-based format of video conference or webinar. The increased demand of working remotely and just-in-time delivery has also been considered and TLN is fully capable of delivering content in this capacity. Recordings will be stored and made available for replay whenever possible.

This phase of the TLN pooled fund will run from 2025 through 2029. The minimum expected partner commitment is $700,000, consisting of $140,000 for each of FY 2025 through FY 2029.  All partner agencies should post their funding commitments for each of these years on the online pooled fund solicitation, regardless of what type of funding they plan to use or how they intend to transfer it to NDDOT.  Note that funding commitments are pledges, and the actual funding transfers would take place annually, early in the respective federal fiscal year. A waiver of the non-federal match, when using SPR-B funds for this study, will be requested from FHWA by NDDOT.