VHB partnered with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to design and deliver a customized Transportation Safety and Mobility Information System that helps identify high-risk locations, prioritize safety investments, and support the state’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating roadway fatalities, with the system serving one of the largest and most complex transportation systems in the nation. Caltrans oversees more than 50,000 lane-miles of state highways that support nearly 40 million residents and tens of millions of visitors each year.
The new system supports Caltrans’ broader goal to modernize how safety data is collected, connected, and used across the State Highway System (SHS). As part of the Transportation System Network Replacement (TSNR) project, VHB led the design and building of key crash coding, safety analysis, and investigation modules that serve as the primary system for managing crash data, conducting safety analysis and investigation, and developing safety projects aimed at improving traveler safety on the state highways.
With experience developing similar safety systems for states such as Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York, VHB tailored this platform specifically for California, including updates to align with Caltrans’ use of post-mile referencing system and state-specific crashes, traffic volume, roadway data and Safety Performance Functions. By bringing mapping, crash information, and analysis tools together, the GIS-enabled system helps safety engineers better understand crash patterns and support informed decision-making for selecting and prioritizing road improvements.
“At its core, safety design is about people—not just numbers,” said Gary Stevens, VHB Senior Product Manager. “When technology and safety design come together, DOTs gain clearer insight into where serious crashes are happening and why. That clarity makes the work more meaningful and supports decisions that lead to real safety improvements for communities.”
As the system moves into a long-term operations and maintenance phase, VHB is supporting Caltrans through comprehensive training, user feedback, and system enhancements.
“Since launching the new Crash Coding Application just a few weeks ago, we’ve already seen a noticeable difference.” said Aaron Truong, TSNR Project Advisor, Chief of Office of Highway System Information and Performance, Caltrans. “Our team’s productivity has increased by about 20 percent, going from roughly 500 crashes coded per day to around 650. The system is intuitive, efficient, and it’s helping us move faster while maintaining the quality of our data.”
VHB is delivering technology-enabled, data-informed safety solutions that help transportation agencies meet federal requirements, support statewide consistency, and advance safer roadways nationwide in projects across the U.S., including enterprise safety systems for NYSDOT (CLEAR), MassDOT (IMPACT), and CTDOT (CRSMS).
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