National Research Programs
Caltrans partners with national transportation organizations and benefits from leveraging research conducted at the national level.
Transportation Research Board
TRB, the major national multimodal transportation research organization, brings practitioners and researchers together to solve critical transportation problems. With more than 200 standing committees, almost every transportation mode and topic is represented. Each committee proposes research, shares research findings, sponsors special activities, and provides a forum for transportation professionals to discuss current and future transportation issues.
The TRB's major sources of revenue are state departments of transportation, federal agencies, other transportation organizations, and TRB self-generated revenue. With a contribution of $538,409 in 2021, Caltrans was able to leverage $28 in research-related activity for every $1 invested.
This beneficial investment in TRB enables Caltrans to:
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Have a voice in setting national research priorities and agendas
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Access user-oriented research
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Avoid duplication of research effortss
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Support the uniform, practical, and common-sense application of transportation research results
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Develop a more informed and forward-thinking workforce
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Improve customers’ experiences by accelerating the development and implementation of solutions to problems that affect transportation planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance
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•Retain employees by offering stimulating and professionally rewarding opportunities to participate in efforts that help improve the nation as a whole
Cooperative Research Programs
The National Cooperative Research Programs address research on safety, planning, design, construction, operations, and maintenance at the national level. This research includes developing and evaluating new technologies and techniques. The programs also foster sharing best practices among states.
Caltrans leaders work with the following national research programs:
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National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP)
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Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
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National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP)
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Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP)
In 2021, the NCHRP selected 59 new projects for funding, of which 29 were important to Caltrans. Caltrans staff is currently serving on nine of the new project panels. As project panel members and a member of the Special Committee on Research and Research Advisory Council, Caltrans is able to influence national projects to directly benefit California.
Transportation Pooled Fund Program
When significant or widespread interest is shown in solving transportation-related problems, several federal, state, regional, and local transportation agencies, academic institutions, foundations or private firms might jointly fund research, planning, and technology transfer activities. The Transportation Pooled Fund (TPF) program combines resources to support transportation research studies.
Caltrans Membership on TRB Committees
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) promotes innovation and progress in transportation through research. TRB is one of seven program units of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which provides independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conducts other activities to solve complex problems and inform public-policy decisions. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies, including the component administrations of the U.S. DOT, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation
| Committee Member | Committee Name |
|---|---|
| Dara Wheeler | AASHTO Special Committee on Research and Innovation |
| Kelly Eagan | Standing Committee on Agriculture and Food Transportation |
| Ellen Greenberg | Standing Committee on Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation |
| Jessica Downing | Standing Committee on Bicycle Transportation |
| Erin Holbrook | Standing Committee on Contract Law |
| Dana Hendrix | Standing Committee on Critical Transportation Infrastructure Protection |
| Hamid Sadraie | Standing Committee on Culverts, Buried Bridges and Soil Structure Interaction |
| Dara Wheeler | Standing Committee on Data for Decision Making |
| Hadi Nabizadeh | Standing Committee on Design and Rehabilitation of Asphalt Pavements |
| Hesamaddin Nabizadeh | Standing Committee on Design and Rehabilitation of Asphalt Pavements |
| Dulce Rufino Feldman | Standing Committee on Design and Rehabilitation of Concrete Pavements |
| Dana Hendrix | Standing Committee on Disaster Response, Emergency Evacuations, and Business Continuity |
| Xiang Shu | Standing Committee on Durability of Concrete |
| Alan Steinberg | Standing Committee on Emerging Technology Law |
| Lucille Baca | Standing Committee on Eminent Domain and Land Use |
| Glenn Mueller | Standing Committee on Environmental Issues in Transportation Law |
| Nina Choy | Standing Committee on Fabrication and Inspection of Metal Structures |
| Sharid Amiri | Standing Committee on Foundations of Bridges and Other Structures |
| Venkata Lakshman Mandapaka | Standing Committee on General Law |
| Chad Baker | Standing Committee on Geographic Information Science |
| Manya Waggoner | Standing Committee on Geospatial Data Acquisition Technologies |
| Kathryn Griswell | Standing Committee on Geotechnical Instrumentation and Modeling |
| Siavash Shojaat | Standing Committee on Highway Capacity and Quality of Service |
| Helen Blackmore | Standing Committee on Historic and Archeological Preservation in Transportation |
| Bhaskar Joshi | Standing Committee on Hydrology, Hydraulics, and Stormwater |
| Brian Simi | Standing Committee on Intelligent Transportation Systems |
| Nieves Castro | Standing Committee on Intermodal Freight Transport |
| Jose Marquez | Standing Committee on International Trade and Transportation |
| Jennifer Taira | Standing Committee on Landscape and Environmental Design |
| Hesamaddin Nabizadeh | Standing Committee on Low-Volume Roads |
| Jeremy Matsuo | Standing Committee on Maintenance Fleet and Equipment |
| Joseph Rouse | Standing Committee on Managed Lanes |
| Diana Gomez | Standing Committee on Passenger Rail Transportation |
| Zhongren Wang | Standing Committee on Pavement Management Systems |
| Tom Pyle | Standing Committee on Pavement Preservation |
| Joe Holland | Standing Committee on Pavement Structural Testing and Evaluation |
| Dulce Rufino Feldman | Standing Committee on Pavement Surface Properties and Vehicle Interaction |
| Dara Wheeler | Standing Committee on Performance Management |
| David Lim | Standing Committee on Polymer Concretes, Adhesives, and Sealers |
| Kishore Gorle | Standing Committee on Project Delivery Methods |
| Kishore Gorle | Standing Committee on Public Transportation Planning and Development |
| Joseph Horton | Standing Committee on Research Innovation Implementation Management |
| Joseph Horton | Standing Committee on Road Weather |
| Ken Murray | Standing Committee on Roadside Maintenance Operations |
| Sharid Amiri | Standing Committee on Seismic Design and Performance of Bridges |
| Toorak Zokaie | Standing Committee on Seismic Design and Performance of Bridges |
| Mandy Chu | Standing Committee on Statewide/National Transportation Data and Information Systems |
| Stephen Guenther | Standing Committee on Strategic Management |
| Julie Kolaszewski | Standing Committee on Strategic Management |
| Lauren Machado | Standing Committee on Tort Liability and Risk Management |
| Jeanne Scherer | Standing Committee on Tort Liability and Risk Management |
| Zhongren Wang | Standing Committee on Traffic Flow Theory and Characteristics |
| Diane Jacobs | Standing Committee on Traffic Simulation |
| Ruth Miller | Standing Committee on Transit Data |
| Marlon Flournoy | Standing Committee on Transportation and Public Health |
| Michael Johnson | Standing Committee on Transportation Asset Management |
| Charles Stoll | Standing Committee on Transportation Planning Policy and Processes |
| Rachel Carpenter | Standing Committee on Transportation Safety Management Systems |
| Bruce Rymer | Standing Committee on Transportation-Related Noise and Vibration |
| Matt Hanson | Standing Committee on Trucking Industry Research |
| Shannon Simonds | Standing Committee on Urban Rail Transit Systems |
| Anand Maganti | Standing Committee on Utilities |
Caltrans Membership on NCHRP Project Panels
| Committee Member | Committee Name |
|---|---|
| Sharid Amiri | Guidance on Seismic Site Response Analysis with Pore Water Pressure Generation |
| Nizar Melehani | NCHRP Project Panel of Synthesis of Leveraging Private Capital for Infrastructure Renewal |
| Richard Foley | A Guidebook for Risk-based Construction Inspection |
| Joseph Horton | Accelerating the Application of NCHRP Research Results |
| Hamid Sadraie | Addressing Impacts of Changes in Asphalt Binder Formulation and Manufacture on Pavement Performance through Changes in Asphalt Binder Specifications |
| Tony Tavares | Alternative Technologies for Mitigating the Risk of Injuries and Deaths in the Work Zone |
| Vue Her | Application of MASH Test Criteria to Breakaway Sign and Luminaire Supports and Crashworthy Work Zone Traffic Control Devices |
| Jessica Downing | Applying the Safe System Approach to Transportation Planning, Design, and Operations in the United States |
| Thomas Schriber | Architecture for Information System for Reporting and Sharing Truck Regulatory Requirements Data |
| Ganesh Karkee | Arterial Weaving on Conventional and Alternative Intersections |
| Rachel Carpenter | Assessing the Impacts of Turn Lanes in Different Contexts and Modal Considerations to Increase Safety Performance |
| Rose Agacer | Assessing the Value of Added Capacity Highway Projects |
| Imad Basheer | Assessment and Simplification of Pavement Environmental Effects Models on Pavement Performance |
| Melissa Clark | Best Practices in Work Zones for AVs and CVs |
| Mandy Chu | Business Intelligence Techniques for Transportation Agency Decision Making |
| Nicholas Compin | Connecting Transportation Asset Management (TAM) and Transportation System and Management Operations (TSMO) |
| Anand Maganti | Connecting Transportation Asset Management (TAM) and Transportation System and Management Operations (TSMO) |
| Leo Mahserelli | Construction and Rehabilitation of Concrete Pavements |
| John Rogers | Corrosion Protection for Extending Steel Bridge Service Life |
| Jean Vedenoff | Crashworthiness of Roadside Hardware on Curbed Roadways |
| Dulce Rufino Feldman | Curing Practices for Concrete Pavement |
| Michael Robinson | Deployment Guidance for CV Applications in the Open Source Application Development Portal |
| Rachel Carpenter | Design Options to Reduce Turning Motor Vehicle Bicycle Conflicts at Intersections |
| Jesus Mora | Design Review and 3D Model Quality Management for Model-based Design and Construction |
| Nora Kyo | Design Specifications for the Static and Seismic Design of Piles for Downdrag |
| Stan Johnson | Develop, Fabricate, and Test Surrogate Bogey Vehicles and Pendulum Masses with Noses for Evaluating MASH Breakaway Performance of Luminaire Poles, Signs, and Work Zone Devices |
| Anand Maganti | Developing an AASHTO Guide to Syetem-Level Asset Valuation in Support of Transportation Asset Management Decision Making |
| Vue Her | Developing Testing Protocol for a Family of Devices - Signs, Breakaway Poles and Work Zone Devices |
| Zhongren Wang | Development of a New Transportation System Operations Strategic Plan |
| Karen Jewel | Development of Cost-Effective Treatments of Roadside Ditches to Reduce the Number and Severity of Roadside Crashes |
| Chad Baker | Dissemination of data self-assessment guide (NCHRP Report 814) |
| Balwinder Tarlok | Dynamic Curbside Management: Keeping Pace with New and Emerging Mobility and Technology in the Public Right of Way |
| Dara Wheeler | Emerging Issues: Impact of New Disruptive Technologies on the Performance of DOTs |
| Gina Lopez | Enhancement of Roadside Design Features Safety Performance Models for the Highway Safety Manual |
| Ferdinand Milanes | Essential Communications |
| Ferdinand Milanes | Evaluation and Synthesis of Connected Vehicle Communications Technologies |
| Brian Simi | Evaluation and Synthesis of Connected Vehicle Communications Technologies |
| Robert Peterson | Evaluation of Opposite Direction Crashes and Appropriate Countermeasures |
| Melissa Clark | Experimental Implementation of Big Data Analytics for Traffic Incident Management |
| Dara Wheeler | Feasibility Study for a Platform to Capture Innovations from State Departments of Transportation |
| Mandy Chu | Framework for Designing and Managing Data and Information Workflows for Transportation Assets |
| Nicholas Compin | Guidance for Planning and Implementing Multimodal, Integrated Corridor Management |
| Steven Vo | Guidance on Improving Truck Traffic Estimates in Design Traffic Forecasts |
| Narayan Selwal | Guide for Preventing and Mitigating the Risk of Bridge and Tunnel Strikes by Motor Vehicles |
| Scott Blair | Guidebook for Addressing Encampments on State Transportation Rights-of-Way |
| Yatman Kwan | Guidebook for Truck Parking Information Management Systems |
| Michael Mayor | Guideline for Decision Making for Repair vs. Replacement of Highway Maintenance Equipment |
| Tina Lucas | Guideline for Depicting Existing and Proposed Utility Facilities in Design Plans |
| Manya Waggoner | Guidelines for Digital Technologies and Systems for Remote Construction Inspection for Highway Infrastructure Projects |
| Luis Betancourt | Guidelines for Selecting Ramp Design Speeds |
| Jeremy Matsuo | Guidelines for the Development of Highway Operations Equipment Replacement Lifecycle Criteria |
| Edward Hardiman | Guidelines for Vehicle and Equipment Color, Marking, and Lighting |
| Nicholas Burmas | IDEA (Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis) |
| Dawn Foster | Implementation of Programmatic Life Cycle Cost Analysis in a Transportation Asset Management Framework |
| Joseph Dongo | Implementation of the D-B and CM/GC Contract Administration Guidebooks through Comprehensive Agency Training |
| Walter Yu | Implementing and Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at Departments of Transportation |
| Zhongren Wang | Incorporating New Mobility Options into Travel Demand Forecasting and Modeling |
| Mandy Chu | Integration of Roadway Safety Data from State and Local |
| Joann Georgallis | Legal Problems Arising Out of Highway Programs |
| Seungwook Lim | LTPP Data Analysis: Accounting for Temporal Variations in Pavement Performance Monitoring Measurement |
| David Lim | LTPP Data Analysis: Develop Tools to Improve Accuracy of Traffic |
| Barry Padilla | Methodology for Estimating the Value of Travel-Time Reliability for Truck Freight System Users--Phase 2 |
| Matthew Brady | Methods for Identifying and Evaluating Transportation Investment Right-Sizing Scenarios |
| Deepak Maskey | Moisture Measurement for Foundations and Slopes for Pavements and Structures |
| Rebecca Mowry | Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Performance Functions for the Highway Safety Manual |
| Jack Broadbent | Permanent Vegetation Control Treatments for Roadsides |
| Bomasur Banzon | Practice and Performance of Cold In-Place Recycling and Cold Central Plant Recycling |
| Mohammad Sadiq | Practices for Closing Out Highway Projects from Substantial Completion to Final Payment |
| Lian Duan | Practices for Steel Bridge Fabrication and Erection Tolerances |
| Theresa Drum | Practices to Motivate Safe Behaviors with Highway Construction and Maintenance Crews |
| Cassidy Ellis | Practices to Promote Equity in Transportation Funding |
| Jacqueline Farrington | Preparing Successful No-Effect and No-Adverse-Effect Section 106 Determinations: A Handbook for Transportation Cultural Resource Practitioners |
| George Huang | Proposed AASHTO Guideline for Load Rating of Segmental Bridges |
| Medhi Parvini | Proposed Enhancements to Pavement ME Design: Improved Consideration of the Influence of Subgrade and Unbound Layers on Pavement Performance |
| Jose Marquez | Quantifying the Impact of Freight-Efficient Land Use Patterns to Support Effect Decision Making |
| Patrick Tyner | Quantifying the Impact of Freight-Efficient Land Use Patterns to Support Effect Decision Making |
| Brian Simi | Readiness and Effectiveness of Freeway-Based Corridor V2X Applications for Improving Congestion and Safety |
| Sam Amen | Realistic Timing Estimates for Automated Vehicle Implementation |
| Dorie Mellon | Recommended Guidelines for Prefabricated Bridge Elements and Systems Tolerances and Dynamic Effects of Bridge Moves |
| Thomas Schriber | Regulatory Relief of Commercial Vehicle Weight Requirements for Emergency Transportation of Critical Commodities |
| Cory Cowden | Repair and Maintenance of Post-Tensioned Concrete Bridges |
| Amar Cid | Research for the AASHTO Standing Committee on Public Transportation |
| Amar Cid | Researching and Responding to Racial Disparities in Construction |
| Julia Biggar | Resilience in Transportation Planning, Engineering, Management, Policy, and Administration |
| Hamid Sadraie | Risk Assessment Techniques for Transportation Asset Management |
| Joel Magana | Roadmap for AASHTO Bridge Railing MASH Updates to Support Future Vehicle Fleet Transformation |
| Rebecca Mowry | Safety Evaluation of On-Street Bicycle Facility Design Features |
| Walter Yu | Scoping study for the development of a platform for AASHTO Committee Surveys |
| Charles Ineichen | Scour at the Base of Retaining Walls and Other Longitudinal Structures |
| Raymond Tritt | Staffing for Alternative Contracting Methods |
| Audrie Spears | State DOT Product Evaluation Processes |
| Mehedi Chowdhury | Strategic Plan and Research Roadmap for AASHTO Committee on Planning |
| Rebecca Mowry | Strategies to Improve Pedestrian Safety at Night |
| Joseph Horton | Successful Practices for State Transportation Research Office's Complying with 2 CFR 200 (NCHRP 20-111J) |
| Chad Riding | Sustaining a Zero Fare Public Transportation Program in a Post COVID-19 World |
| Ram Bommavaram | Synthesis of Impact of Asphalt Materials Lift Thickness on Pavement Quality |
| Aaron Truong | Synthesis of Methods to Acquire Proprietary Data for Transportation Applications |
| Rachel Carpenter | Synthesis of Pedestrian Injuries and Fatalities Relative to Traffic Speed |
| Jose Marquez | Synthesis of Prioritization of Freight Investment Projects |
| Thomas Ostrom | Synthesis of Seismic Design of Non-conventional Bridges |
| Dulce Rufino Feldman | Synthesis of Summary of Practice for Automated Pavement Condition Surveys |
| Karl Kopper | Targeted Guidance and Information Support to State DOT CEOs on Cybersecurity Issues and Protection Strategies |
| Amar Cid | Understand the Role of Transportation Infrastructure Investment in Gentrification and Displacement and Identify Effective Policies and Strategies to Address These Effects |
| Jim Gutierrez | Update of the 2012 AASHTO Guide Specifications for Design of Bonded FRP Systems for Repair and Strengthening of Concrete Bridge Elements |
| Anand Maganti | Updates to the Digital Edition of the AASHTO Transportation Asset Management Guide |
| Jim Ma | Use of 0.7-in. Diameter Strands in Precast Pretensioned Girders |
| Bhaskar Joshi | Use of Unmanned Aerial Systems for Highway Stormwater Inspections |
| H. David Cordova | Utility Pole Safety and Hazard Evaluation Approaches |
| Joseph Horton | Wrong-Way Driving Solutions, Policy and Guidance |
| Yoojoong Choi | Quantifying the Contribution of Vehicle Emissions to Local Air Quality |
| Rachel Carpenter | Designing for Target Speed |
| William Owen | Implementation of Subsurface Utility Engineering for Highway Design and Construction |
| Parviz Lashai | Rehabilitation of Culverts and Buried Storm Drain Pipes |
| Deepak Maskey | Subsurface Drainage Practices in Pavement Design, Construction, and Maintenance |
| Jesus Mora | Technological Capabilities of DOTs for Digital Project Management and Delivery |
| Xiang Shu | Use of Pavement Data Collection Technology for Pavement Data Quality Management and MAP-21 Reporting |
| Theresa Drum | Use of Smart Work Zone Technologies for Improving Work Zone Safety |
Caltrans Membership on ACRP Project Panels
| Committee Member | Committee Name |
|---|---|
| Phillip Miller | Panel on Airfield Pavement Markings - Effective Removal and Temporary Application Techniques |
Caltrans Membership on TCRP Project Panels
| Committee Member | Committee Name |
|---|---|
| Doreen Morrissey | An Evaluation of Fare-Free Public Transportation |
| Rachel Carpenter | Tactile Wayfinding in Transportation Settings for Travelers Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired |
| Amar Cid | Coordination of Public Transit Services and Investments with Affordable Housing Policies |