Freeways, theyre part of the California landscape'

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Freeways, theyre part of the California
landscape. Earthquakes, theyre part of everyday
life in California. How do we coexist?
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With each major urban earthquake since the 70s,
freeway supports failed after Sylmar,
Northridge, and Loma Prieta.
Rebar, the steel reinforcment rods inside
concrete, buckled under the stress, often by
mushrooming outward.
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Since then, old freeways have been retrofitted
and new ones built to better withstand inevitable
earthquakes. Take a look at your neighborhood
freeway supports and look for the extra support
at the tops of most columns. Take a look at
whats inside. Our photos are from construction
along I-8 in the Mission Valley area of San Diego
in September of 2002.
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• Columns show different stages of consctruction.
• Basic rebar support.
• Adding the collar
• The cement form
• Curing the cement
• The finished support column

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The rebar is hand-tied into the column-shape on
the ground.
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1. The collar is added to add strength where
previous failures have
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Cement forms
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Finished products across a parking lot along I-8.
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Supports for the Coronado Bridge preserving
cultural resources and making safe bridges.