This report presents the research conducted as part of an investigation for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) regarding the seismic response and overall moment capacity of precast I-girder to inverted-T bent cap bridge connections for seismic applications. The current design practice, as outlined by Caltrans’ Seismic Design Criteria, assumes that the connection between the precast I-girders and the inverted-T bent cap will degrade in a seismic event and shall therefore be designed as a pinned connection, making the precast girder option for seismic bridges inefficient. A prototype I-girder to inverted-T bent cap bridge and a 50% scale test unit was designed in order to investigate the behavior of the as-built girder-to-cap connection region. Additionally, per the request of Caltrans, an improved girder-to-cap connection detail was developed in order to ensure a fully continuous moment connection between the I-girders and inverted-T bent cap
