Safety Innovation and Cooperative Research

• AASHTO RAC, TRB, and NCHRP standing committee
• Roadside safety technology
• Exchanges dialogue and information with other professionals
• Tests the crash worthiness of roadside safety technology
• Run full-scale crash tests
• Research in work zone safety, maintenance operations efficiencies, survey equipment advancements, and snow fighting efforts for Caltrans
• Legal Division expert witness testimony
• Technical support to Caltrans' divisions and districts
• Research implementation

Crash Testing Operations

• Evaluate Roadside Safety Hardware
  Our branch evaluates roadside safety hardware for crashworthiness on behalf of the Highway Safety Features New Products Committee. The evaluations are done through the comparison of test results (or lack of test results) with various crash testing guidelines. Products are also compared to each other in order to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses.

• Crash Testing Quality and Integrity
  Coordinating with management of the Roadside Safety Research Group, our branch works to confirm that the quality of the deliverables for each crash test project is done to as high a standard as possible.

• Caltrans' Legal Division Support
  Our branch offers technical support in the form of product research, potential crashworthiness questions and answers, guidance on crash testing for Caltrans Legal, and we offer expert advice and testimony.
  
  

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National Cooperative Research Programs

• National Research Programs Participation

• Transportation Pooled Fund Manager

• Transportation Research Board Coordinator
  

• National Programs Participant
  We are the contact point for Caltrans for TRB, NCHRP, pooled fund, and other nationwide programs. We coordinate Caltrans' participation in the annual Washington, D.C., TRB Meeting as well as other TRB-sponsored conferences and workshops. These include standing committees and task forces; electronic databases, networking, and field visits. The branch works with management to form official opinions on various national research issues that are objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal.

• Dialogue and Information Exchange Among Researchers
  We are involved in various programs and activities to support transportation information exchange among researchers, transportation professionals, and other transportation interested participants. Our extensive portfolio of services include cooperative research management, research programs, national transportation policy analyses, issues on Federal and other research programs; and access to publications and research information from around the world.
  
  

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Research Implementation

• Single point of contact for the Caltrans Research Implementation Program
  
  

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Roadside Safety Research Branch

Our responsibilities include evaluating the crash worthiness of roadside safety technology such as barriers, guardrails, crash cushions, bridge rails, sign supports and other hardware. We also offer legal analysis and support.

• Full-scale Crash Tests
  As part of evaluating the crash worthiness of roadside safety technology, the branch conducts full-scale crash tests on Caltrans' roadside safety hardware designs to assure that they comply with applicable crash performance criteria.

• ISO 17025 Accredited Lab
  Our Roadside Safety Research Group Laboratory is ISO 17025 accredited, as required by the Federal Highway Administration.

• Hardware Developed by Others
  We evaluate the crash worthiness of proprietary hardware developed by others to assure that such hardware is acceptable for use on state highways.

• Roadside Safety Research Organizations
  We coordinate with other roadside safety research organizations such as Pooled Fund and NCHRP projects on national and international roadside safety topics.

• Legal Support
  We provide support to Caltrans Legal in tort liability cases by conducting crash tests and providing technical assessments and expert witness testimony, as well as technical support to other Caltrans divisions and districts.
  
  

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Safety and Infrastructure Research Branch

• Safety and Infrastructure Research (SIR)
  The SIR branch manages research projects for the Divisions of Right of Way and Land Surveys, Maintenance, and Equipment. We work with our customers to identify research needs and develop plans for conducting the research. We also work to secure funding, execute and monitor contracts, and manage research efforts. Typically, research is performed by the Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction Technology (AHMCT) Research Center at UC Davis, but we also work with other California facilities such as Sacramento State University, University of California at Riverside, and Fresno State University. Although research may cover any topic, our Customers have been focused on snow fighting efforts, work zone safety, including autonomous maintenance vehicle operations in work zones, maintenance operations efficiencies, achieving a zero emissions equipment, and advanced surveying equipment and methods.

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Transportation Research and Data Management Branch

• Manages research projects requested by the Divisions of Maintenance, Equipment, Right of Way, Land Surveys, and Safety.
• Administrator for database used to manage Caltrans Research Projects