California Department of Transportation
The Caltrans Division of Engineering Services (DES) has updated the Seismic Design Criteria to Version 2.1:
- Effective February 1, 2025, all local Highway Bridge Program (HBP) projects with ordinary and recovery bridges without previous Type Selection concurrence from Structure Local Assistance (SLA) shall be designed in accordance with Caltrans Seismic Design Criteria Version 2.1 (SDC 2.1).
- All HBP projects with a Type Selection concurrence before February 1, 2025, shall have the option to either continue using the SDC version concurred with at the time of Type Selection or may use SDC 2.1 at the discretion of the local public agency. In such cases, the option of using SDC 2.1 must not impose a significant delay to the project schedule or a significant increase in the project engineering or construction costs.
- All Local Bridge Seismic Retrofit Program (LBSRP) and Highway Bridge Program (HBP) voluntary seismic projects shall use the SDC version which was current at the time of the approved Strategy Meeting.
o If the approved seismic strategy for the preceding seismic projects was bridge replacement or the bridge was programmed as replacement in the HBP, it will follow the guidance for the Type Selection review process.
Access details and the pdf version of the Seismic Design Criteria v2.1 on the Caltrans Seismic Design Criteria webpage.
Contact Caltrans Division of Local Assistance Office of Federal Programs’ Andy Chou with comments or questions.
The Caltrans Division of Engineering Services (DES) is the lead project delivery organization for the design, construction, and oversight of bridge and other transportation structures. DES is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary engineering organization committed to providing our clients with quality products and services in a timely manner.
The Caltrans Division of Local Assistance (DLA) oversees more than one billion dollars annually available to over 600 cities, counties and regional agencies for the purpose of improving their transportation infrastructure or providing transportation services. This funding comes from various Federal and State programs specifically designed to assist the transportation needs of local agencies. Annually, over 1,200 new projects are authorized through the Local Assistance Program of which approximately 700 are construction projects.