Seismic projects will help bridges stand up to a major earthquake

WSDOT Blog By Tom Pearce

July 14, 2022

Many an emergency manager in the Pacific Northwest, particularly along the coast, would be eager to tell you the question they ask themselves on a nearly daily basis: “What if The Big One happened tomorrow?” The Big One refers to a major Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. Researchers say it’s not a matter of ‘if’ it will happen, but ‘when.’ Our agency is also very aware of the potential for a large earthquake anywhere in western Washington, whether it’s the Cascadia fault or one of the multitude of others that run through the Puget Sound region. That’s why we have a seismic retrofit program as part of our bridges and structures preservation plans. By strengthening our infrastructure, we can reduce the chances of a catastrophic collapse when The Big One hits. As we developed plans to strengthen bridges and overpasses, we worked with the Department of Emergency Management and others to identify key “Lifeline Routes,” a series of roads determined as critical to move emergency vehicles, goods and supplies for disaster response. We’ve planned our seismic retrofit projects so that we can support these vital corridors.

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