Caltrans(link is external) has awarded $5.075 Million contract to PEER for the continuation of the 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 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 program covers the following seven priority topics 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 soon. “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 from the original Lifelines Program with about 13% increase from previous PEER-Bridge master agreement, 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 continuing to work with Caltrans engineers in the PEER-Bridge Research Program.”
"We are excited to continue our relationship with PEER,” said Chris Traina, Office Chief, DES-OEEAR. “We are publishing our new DES Seismic Strategies and Implementation plan in May 2025 that will be the guiding document for our Geotechnical/Structures research program over the next five years. We will rely heavily on PEER and its core institutions to help us deliver this plan and make significant innovations in the advancement of Earthquake Engineering at Caltrans.