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The Loma Prieta Earthquake, named after the peak and ridge near its epicenter, occurred on the afternoon of October 17, 1989. It lasted for 15 seconds and had a Richter magnitude of 7.1. Its impact was felt by a major portion of California's inhabitants and by its economy. The most immediate and serious results were collapsed buildings, highways, and bridges with a resulting loss of 62 lives; fires; loss of electric power; ruptured water and gas lines; and earth slides. The aftereffects--failure of water lines, formerly undiscovered damage to buildings, and main highways awaiting full service use--are still being felt today. This article outlines the major highway system failures that occurred; the bridge testing and retrofitting program; the transit response (the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, designed to withstand earthquakes of 8.0 magnitude and greater, came through essentially unscathed); and the plans for recovery and their implementation. Also discussed are the earthquake's impact on travel behavior and the lessons that were learned.

p. 2-8

1990-7

TR News

Figures (2) ; Photos

Bridges; Collapse; Defects; Disaster preparedness; Disasters and emergency operations; Earthquake resistant design; Earthquake resistant structures; Earthquakes; Fatalities; Fires; Highways; Impacts; Implementation; Landslides; Planning; Power loss; Public transit; Retrofitting; Structural analysis; Testing; Travel behavior

Loma Prieta Earthquake, October 17, 1989; San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District

Highway damage; Recovery

Bridges and other structures; Geotechnology; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Research; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Sep 30 1990 12:00AM

• "HATS OFF" TO TRB REPRESENTATIVES
• DEVELOPMENT OF A NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION POLICY: THE PROCESS AND THE PRODUCT
• PROFILE OF AN ORGANIZATION: INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORTATION STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
• RESEARCH PAYS OFF. VEHICLE REPLACEMENT STRATEGIES