Observations on Bridge Performance during the Chilean Earthquake of 2010

The joint U.S. State Department–Chilean Fulbright Program sent senior specialists to Chile after the 2010 “Maule” earthquake to perform collaborative studies with faculty from Chile’s main universities. The study described here found that concrete-girder bridges built since 1995 without diaphragms and shear keys suffered extensive damage while older bridges designed and built with these features did not suffer as greatly from twisting or rotation about the vertical axis. Because of the steepness of embankment slopes, many bridge abutments exhibited slumping. Concrete retaining walls and mechanically stabilized embankment walls were not damaged. Liquefaction induced pier settlements and lateral spreading impacted bridge performance in coastal regions.