Fukae,Higashinada,Kobe Fukae,Higashinada,Kobe
-Rebuilding the Hanshin Expressway- 12 Dec., 1995
When the Northridge (LA, USA) earthquake happened, Japanese specialists said "All of Japans expressways will not have the same failures as they did in LA." It was not true. This picture shows how they are rebuilding today. Roads that did not collapse will be reinforced and used again. The piers are reinforced from the outside. The roads which collapsed from bent piers are removed and rebuilt using new piers. This expressway will need more than a year for repairs. Under this expressway is Route 43. This is one of the principal routes in Kobe, traffic is jammed all day, even at midnight. People who live on the side of this road do not want the expressway to come back again because it is noisy and they have problems with air pollution. But people need this important route for transportation.
© Daisuke Tomiyasu