Advancing Infrastructure Management through a Structural and Confirmatory Multivariate Analysis of Digital Innovation

The US Department of Transportation oversees complex projects with a substantial budget. Smart contracts, powered by blockchain technology, offer the potential to automate processes, improve efficiency, and enhance transparency. However, unique challenges and integration factors exist for their adoption in the transportation sector. This includes offering security and decentralization to ensure proper accountability of taxpayer money usage. This study aims to identify and prioritize these factors to facilitate the successful implementation of smart contracts in a specific industry. A three-stage methodology was employed, involving a literature review, expert survey, and structural equation modeling. Key findings reveal that the top needs, requirements, capabilities, and challenges were compliance checking to improve construction quality management, integration with existing cloud repositories or enterprise management systems, immutable records, and unknown usability. This research contributes to the understanding of smart contract integration in transportation, providing practical insights for addressing challenges and fostering their adoption.