The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) worked to reduce the occurrence and severity of wrong way driving (WWD) on California’s highways along with researchers at UC Davis AHMCT Research Center. Wrong-way driving (WWD) can result in collisions and fatal injuries. WWD incidents have gained attention after a series of wrong-way collisions resulted in several fatalities in the Sacramento and San Diego areas.

AHMCT, alongside Caltrans, are developing a teleoperated Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) with advanced mapping capabilities.  This new surveying technology improves data reliability for hydrographic operations. Traditional methods are risky in challenging conditions, necessitating this unmanned system. The goal is safer and more efficient hydrographic surveys, with benefits like early detection of bridge issues and improved safety. This technology promises a more secure future for transportation infrastructure. 

“Transformation by Transportation.” The Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) World Congress 2022 provides a platform that unites the whole industry. It connects people together, provides exposure to new ideas, and celebrates the latest innovations in smart mobility and transport digitalization.

On September 2, 2022, C-STEM Center hosted Ujima Day and AHMCT had the pleasure of presenting to the students.  Dave Torick and Anh Duong shared their experiences in their engineering careers as well as current projects they have taken on at AHMCT involving robotics.  The girls learned how AHMCT implements technology to ensure safety for road workers and pedestrians.  We were excited to share our group’s experiences and research in hopes of sparking passion in the STEM field to our future leaders.

After several years of research, development, and field testing, AHMCT and Caltrans have deployed eight Mountain Pass Road Opening (MPRO) systems for on-going use. The system has been installed in eight Caltrans vehicles, and Maintenance operators are fully trained in system configuration and use.

Originally posted by UC Davis news.

Caltrans and the UC Davis Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction Technology (AHMCT) Research Center today released two reports highlighting ways to prevent rare but often deadly collisions involving wrong-way drivers. 

June 2019

After significant winter snowfalls, Tioga Pass was buried in snowdrifts from 15 to 50 feet deep over several miles by April 2019. Caltrans Maintenance must open this pass before summer. This is a very hazardous task, with State Route (SR) 120 right next to a steep drop-off. Maintenance workers have very little visual indications for the road location when the snow is this deep. The MPRO system uses GPS and an in-vehicle display, along with a highly accurate base map, to show the vehicle operator where they are currently at relative to the road.