Giant Highway "Umbrella"?

[dzlsabe]

Has such a thing been considered, tested, maybe even built somewhere? This would be a translucent suspended tarp, akin to an indoor golf dome over a multi lane highway or intersections.

It would stop rain and snow from hitting the roadway, which would decrease maintenance esp. in winter, make roads last longer, on E-W roads eliminate the blazing sunrise or sunset, decrease radiation making roadways cooler and all those AC units running easier, be a sound-barrier to decrease the spread of roadway noise.

Certainly would have to be robust to deal with wind gusts and heavy snowfall and designed to be well ventilated.

[hbelkins]

I can't imagine how expensive such a contraption would have to be to support the weight of the canopy plus snow accumulation. The canopy we had over a portion of our dog kennel collapsed last winter under the weight of a heavy, wet snow.

[kalvado]

I can't imagine how expensive such a contraption would have to be to support the weight of the canopy plus snow accumulation. The canopy we had over a portion of our dog kennel collapsed last winter under the weight of a heavy, wet snow.

And a picture of collapse in a really big doghouse...

[coatimundi]

California, and particularly Highway 1, has several rock shelters that are large concrete canopies. This is one of the most recent ones built, but they're actively buildong another just to the north of there.
http://www.discover-central-california.com/rain-rocks-rock-shed.html

Highway 1 is notoriously bad for rock slides and tends to close for a few days at least once each winter for clearing, effectively cutting off residents and turning tourist dollars around. So it was necessary here.
But snow and ice maintenance costs are not nearly enough to warrant something like this, unless there were issues with avalanches. And, if I'm not mistaken, there are a couple avalanche shelters on highways out there.

[mhh]

 We already have covered roadways. They're called tunnels.

[spooky]

We already have covered roadways. They're called tunnels.

sorry, this guy doesn't understand those.

[NE2]

For sound:

For snow: look up snowsheds.

[dzlsabe]

I was thinking more like a semicircle hoop of 1" rebar every 10-20? ft. or so, but thats nice too. Four cars on a three lane road. Quaint.

[odditude]

I was thinking more like a semicircle hoop of 1" rebar every 10-20? ft. or so

problems off the top of my head:

• wind loading
• exhaust buildup
• overheight vehicles

[dzlsabe]

I was thinking more like a semicircle hoop of 1" rebar every 10-20? ft. or so

problems off the top of my head:

• wind loading
• exhaust buildup
• overheight vehicles

Hence this in the OP.."Certainly would have to be robust to deal with wind gusts and heavy snowfall and designed to be well ventilated."