Caltrans awarded a $4.5 million, 36-month contract to PEER for the new PEER-Bridge research program. Caltrans has had a well-established bridge research program, which was expanded greatly in response to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. This program continues to yield numerous advancements that make Caltrans a world leader in bridge engineering. The research program funds several new contracts each year, each with duration of 2 to 3 years.
The new PEER-Bridge Research Program is a streamlined framework of Caltrans bridge research program. A single master contract is established between Caltrans and PEER, and different projects are executed as Task Orders under the master contract. This new program covers the following seven priority topics:
- Maintenance/Sustainability
- New Materials
- Bridge Modeling & Analysis
- Accelerated Bridge Construction
- Performance-Based Earthquake Engineering (PBEE)/Bridge & System Reliability
- Foundations & Walls
- Intelligent Design Tools/Bridge Design Aids
Projects for the PEER-Bridge program will be selected by Caltrans through a PEER-administered request-for-proposal (RFP) process. This process will be synergized with the PEER TSRP program, which will continue. The first RFP will be issued during the week of March 30, 2020.
“PEER has had a long working relationship with Caltrans, which has resulted in many impactful projects," noted Khalid Mosalam, PEER Director. "The current award represents a three-fold increase in funding, which indicates a deeper commitment between the two organizations. Moreover, the seven priority topics allow a much larger proportion of PEER researchers to engage in this program. We look forward to working with Caltrans engineers in the new PEER-Bridge research program.”
"We are excited to expand our relationship with PEER,” said Mark Mahan, Chief, Caltrans Office of Earthquake Engineering. “Caltrans strives to continuously innovate and PEER is the right organization to help us achieve that goal."