AARoads Forum

National Boards => General Highway Talk => Topic started by: kernals12 on February 18, 2025, 06:50:20 PM

Title: How do highway engineers handle tectonic shifts?
Post by: kernals12 on February 18, 2025, 06:50:20 PM
Even ignoring major earthquakes, surely the slow movement along fault lines would be a nightmare for maintaining roads and bridges. Do they just assume that the roads will be rebuilt and re-aligned every century or so?
Title: Re: How do highway engineers handle tectonic shifts?
Post by: michiganguy123 on February 18, 2025, 06:52:12 PM
In Michigan you can easily notice roads deteriorating by the day in the winter, even brand new asphalt from just last summer is already forming cracks from all the freeze thaw cycles we get. I'm sure tectonic shifts are not as big of a deal as what we get.
Title: Re: How do highway engineers handle tectonic shifts?
Post by: Max Rockatansky on February 18, 2025, 06:55:03 PM
Quote from: kernals12 on February 18, 2025, 06:50:20 PMEven ignoring major earthquakes, surely the slow movement along fault lines would be a nightmare for maintaining roads and bridges. Do they just assume that the roads will be rebuilt and re-aligned every century or so?

You can actually see this in action at the bridge crossing the San Andreas Fault and Cholame Creek in Parkfield, California.  The answer is that that the county just eventually replaces the bridge once there is too much warping. 
Title: Re: How do highway engineers handle tectonic shifts?
Post by: kalvado on February 18, 2025, 07:20:50 PM
Read about Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan.
Title: Re: How do highway engineers handle tectonic shifts?
Post by: kernals12 on March 21, 2025, 04:24:41 PM
Just think, in a few hundred thousand years, I-238 will line up with the Caldecott Tunnel.