SEISMIC DESIGN OF HIGHWAY BRIDGES

Abstract

The Hyogo-ken-Nanbu (Kobe) Earthquake of January 17, 1995, caused destructive damage to the highway bridges. Based on the lessons learned from the Kobe Earthquake, the seismic design specifications for highway bridges were significantly revised in 1996. The intensive earthquake motion with a short distance from the inland-type earthquakes with Magnitude 7 class as the Kobe Earthquake has been considered in the seismic design. This paper summarizes the seismic design specifications for highway bridges after the 1995 Kobe Earthquake.