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  4. DRISI FY 2020/21 Research Program Annual Report 
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Academic Partnerships

Research Centers

Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction Technology (AHMCT) Research Center

The AHMCT Research Center is located at the University of California, Davis.  Its mission is to improve the safety, mobility, and reliability of California’s highways, achieve lean operations, and minimize environmental impacts while considering life-cycle assessments, sustainability, and cost-benefits.  AHMCT uses advanced robotics, automation, sensing, networking, and information technologies to complete applied research supporting Caltrans’ highway and civil infrastructure construction, maintenance, and operations, as well as their digital transformation.  AHMCT’s safety and sustainability research focus has recently expanded to Zero Emission Vehicles, Quality Control and Quality Assurance, Automated and Connected Vehicle Technologies, Automated Machinery Diagnostics & Prognostics, and Unmanned Aerial Systems or Drones.

Because Caltrans’ primary goal is “Safety First”, there is a strong focus on safety-related research.  Recent efforts have sought to automate traditionally labor-intensive tasks to get maintenance and construction workers away from live traffic lanes.  To accomplish this, AHMCT evaluates commercial systems conducts original research.  For commercial systems, AHMCT determines whether a system provides value to Caltrans in terms of safety, mission support, cost savings, and operational efficiency.  When suitable commercial systems are not available, AHMCT conducts applied research to develop systems and equipment to meet Caltrans’ needs and specifications.  AHMCT also supports Caltrans by completing preliminary investigation reports that provide guidance before beginning new research and hosting peer exchange workshops that bring knowledge to Caltrans from subject matter experts across the country in the public and private sectors.

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AHMCT Website


Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research (PEER) Center

The PEER-Bridge Research Program, located at UC Berkeley, is a partnership between California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the PEER center that shares a common interest in the advancements of bridge engineering.  The multi-institutional research and education center focuses on developing engineering methods and design tools for new bridge technologies and innovative solutions through bridge research.  The program is guided by end-users, with strong coordination between different research teams to leverage resources and maximize project quality.

Bridges are a major component of California’s transportation network.  Caltrans owns over 13,000 highway bridges with cities and counties owning a similar number.  An increasing fraction of Caltrans’ bridge inventory is reaching its design service life.  The need to extend bridge lifespan and, when necessary, replace them with minimal disruption has never been stronger.  In addition to California’s aging infrastructure, the risk of an earthquake is an ever-present concern.  Over 70% of Caltrans bridges are within 10 km of a mapped fault.  While our priority is to ensure that earthquakes don’t lead to the bridge collapse, being able to carry traffic post-earthquake, even if in a limited capacity, is increasingly important as it supports emergency response and long-term social and economic recovery.  To address these challenges strategically, Caltrans has been pursuing innovative solutions through active research.

The PEER-Bridge Research Program will help Caltrans address challenges through cutting-edge research that is guided by Caltrans engineers.  This research program will focus on addressing major bridge design and performance issues during the planning, design, and construction phases of a bridge project, and operational and maintenance issues during a bridge’s service life.  The net result will be a better, a safer and more resilient transportation system for California.

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Peer Website


Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology (PATH)

Founded in 1986 in partnership with Caltrans, California PATH at UC Berkeley is an internationally recognized research program in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) that is committed to bringing advanced transportation technologies from the laboratory to the real world. PATH is committed to performing practical and deployable research in a wide variety of areas, from traditional strengths of automation, connectivity, transportation system management/optimization, and shared mobility, to newer areas such as electrification, digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and the intersection of transportation and land use.

In 2022, PATH welcomed new leadership, with Dr. James Fishelson as Executive Director and Dr. Scott Moura as Faculty Director, to usher in a new era of Caltrans-PATH partnership, especially a focus on helping move the research that PATH performs with their close counterparts at DRISI and bringing it to the broader Caltrans ecosystem. For example, DRISI has worked hard to enable PATH support for innovative Traffic Operations’ needs, including PATH taking on time-critical projects like developing a Connected and Automated Vehicle deployment roadmap, and leading large federal grant applications, such as a $15+ M grant to deploy extensive V2X software and hardware in District 4. The grant was submitted in January 2024, and if selected, will help enable Caltrans to be a nationwide leader in V2X deployment. These practical research and deployment goals will be further aided by the new Future Mobility Research Center contract, which also began in January 2024 and enables deliverable-focused research to support critical Caltrans interests – enhancing safety and equity, enhancing sustainability and equity, enhancing information and reliability with connectivity and other technologies, exploring transformative transportation solutions, and testbed support. 

PATH looks forward to continuing to conduct cutting-edge research, developing new ITS technologies and applications, performing controlled experiments and larger field operational tests to illustrate the benefits and risks of further deployment. This will include expanding its existing efforts in workshops and training, such as with the current efforts to “train the trainers” within Caltrans for the Multi-Modal Intelligent Traffic Signal System (MMITSS). PATH has also started to bring in more private, public, and academic partnerships to its efforts, such as with the varied team in the above mentioned V2X Grant Proposal, Caltrans HQ, District 4, AC Transit, the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Qualcomm, Volkswagen/Audi, WSP, and AT&T. PATH also continues to collaborate with the DMV to develop regulations and standards for autonomous vehicles. Here and elsewhere, California has always been a leader in the safe, clean, and equitable deployment of ITS technologies, and PATH will continue to support these goals in every way it can. 

 

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PATH Website


Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways

Focused on the future roles of alternative fuels and vehicles, the current UC Davis STEPS program, STEPS Plus, is a four-year (2019–23) multidisciplinary research consortium. Sponsored through a private-public collaboration, STEPS Plus promotes the transition to a sustainable transportation energy future by generating the theory, tools, and methods to compare promising alternative energy sources. The program addresses the uncertainty that governments and the private sector face in developing new fuel-vehicle pathways, highlighting the necessity of a comprehensive approach in reducing oil use and greenhouse gas emissions. STEPS Plus disseminates knowledge and tools to industry, government, the environmental NGO community, and the general public. STEPS plus researchers host webinars and annual workshops for consortium members to collaborate on sustainable vehicle and energy solutions and inform industry planning   and government policy with timely and sophisticated science-based analysis.

Below are the five STEPS+ Research Centers and the primary questions they seek to answer.

 

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Steps Plus Website


University of California Pavement Research Center (UCPRC)

UCPRC provides improvement of the cost-effectiveness and environmental impacts of the statewide pavement program through research, development, and implementation of innovation in all areas of pavement. UCPRC is multidisciplinary, addressing the areas of pavement structural design, materials, construction, network asset management, environmental assessment, and cost analysis, including pavement for roads and highways and for active transportation. The UCPRC has staff and laboratories at UC Davis and UC Berkeley, including accelerated pavement testing facilities at UC Davis.

California’s economy depends on the ability to move goods and people safely and efficiently, with the least cost and environmental impact, and conserving finite resources. UCPRC provides data, analysis, recommendations for specifications and practices, software and guidance that implement and facilitate the use of innovative practices, and training support in areas that Caltrans requires to maintain and improve this critical transportation infrastructure.

Learn More

Research Pavement Center Website

University Transportation Centers (UTC)

In FY 2023-24, California-led UTCs worked in partnership with DRISI to support the research needs of Caltrans and the state of California, primarily in the areas of mass transportation, rail, traffic operations, and transportation planning. The UTCs are fully integrated within institutions of higher learning that advance the state of the art in transportation research and technology and cultivate the next generation of transportation professionals.

The following three FAST Act-funded UTCs completed research initiated in prior years by the end of FY 2023-24. Caltrans also completed an amendment with all three centers to extend their active contracts to December 31, 2024. In February of 2023, the lead university of each center received new grants under the Investing in Infrastructure and Jobs Act.

The Mineta Consortium for Transportation Mobility (MCTM)

MCTM, led by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San José State University, conducts research, education, workforce development, and technology transfer activities to improve mobility of people and goods and make our nation’s transportation system safe, efficient, accessible, and convenient for all. MCTM primarily supports the research needs of Caltrans’ divisions of Rail and Mass Transportation, Transportation Planning, and Traffic Operations. Consortium members include:

  • Howard University
  • Navajo Technical University
  • San José State University
  • The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

The National Center for Sustainable Transportation (NCST)

NCST, led by the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis, provides national leadership in advancing environmentally sustainable transportation through cutting-edge research, direct policy engagement, and education of our future leaders. NCST serves as one of the U.S. DOT’s five national UTCs and is addressing the FAST Act research priority area of Preserving the Environment. NCST primarily supports the research needs of Caltrans’ Division of Transportation Planning. Consortium members include:

  • California State University, Long Beach
  • Georgia Institute of Technology
  • University of California, Riverside
  • University of Southern California
  • University of Vermont

The Pacific Southwest Region University Transportation Center (PSR)

PSR UTC, led by the University of Southern California, addresses the FAST Act research priority area of Improving Mobility of People and Goods by conducting an integrated, multidisciplinary program of research, education, and technology transfer aimed at improving the mobility of people and goods throughout the region. The PSR UTC program is organized around four themes – technology to address transportation problems and improve mobility, improving mobility for vulnerable populations, improving resilience, and protecting the environment, and managing mobility in high-growth areas. PSR UTC primarily supports the research needs of Caltrans’ divisions of Rail and Mass Transportation, Transportation Planning, and Traffic Operations. Consortium members include:

  • California State University, Long Beach
  • Northern Arizona University
  • Pima Community College
  • University of California, Davis
  • University of California, Irvine
  • University of California, Los Angeles
  • University of Hawaii