Effects on the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge

The epicenter of the main shock of the 1995 Hyogoken-Nambu earthquake was very close to the construction site of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, which will be a three-span, two-hinge stiffening truss suspension bridge with a total length of 3,910 m upon completion. The bridge consists of tower foundations, anchorages, towers, cables and girder. At the time of the earthquake, the main cable installation had been completed and the working had reached the stage of cable squeezing. Immediately after the earthquake, a structural inspection, a survey of pier locations using an optical distance measuring instruments and a global positioning system and a geotechnical investigation were conducted. The basic information and technical data related to the earthquake and its impact including the displacements of the foundations on the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge are described in this paper.