How to Design a Mountain Road That’s Less Hazardous in Winter | WSJ

Brand new mountain roads aren’t built very often because they can be ten times more expensive than flat roads and are extremely difficult to build. How are these steep inclines and sharp turns designed to keep drivers safe in places like the Rocky Mountains?
WSJ traveled to Colorado to ask a structural engineer with over 25 years of experience to break
down the complicated process of designing and building mountain roads.
Chapters:
0:00 Building mountain roads
0:33 Vertical alignment
1:09 Horizontal alignment
3:08 Rockfall mitigation
4:08 Drainage
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#Infrastructure #Mountains #WSJ

[@user-gb9js6cp6v]

Big props to the educated Engineers who care about their jobs.

[@GnomaPhobic]

I never realized construction was this interesting, and I mean that genuinely. I really enjoyed this video!

[@Ok-lu8gx]

ok

[@Acidlib]

The portion of I-70 that runs between Denver and Grand junction, especially the stretch of elevated roadway through Glenwood Canyon, is one of the greatest engineering feats in modern American history. It’s a very interesting subject and if you ever have the opportunity to see it for yourself, especially as a passenger, I’d highly recommend it based on scenery alone. I’ve traveled through the Rockies several time on I-70 and it never ceases to amaze me.

[@TheSkeewiz]

I have worked for HDR for 22 years. Another detail that was left out due to time was 1. the freeze-thaw cycle in the rock face can cause more rock falls. In many cases cable netting will be attached to the rock face to lessen the chances of motorists from being struck by rock fall. 2. Avalanche is always an issue in mountainous terrain. in small slide areas crews will shut roads down an use explosive ordinates if the conditions warrant, to free cornices build up to slide over the unoccupied road and clear it from the road. In areas where there is frequent, large and unpredictable slides, a huge investment in building an avalanche shed (a 2-sided tunnel that is supported by columns on the far side of the road) which allows the slides to safely go over the road.

[@dan-vau]

American civil engineer is still one of the world’s most admired, speaking from a person who came to this country and has never stopped being impressed.

[@Itsmarkyoung]

I knew the answer was “because the terrain is much rougher with harsher elevation changes” but I enjoyed learning about some of the technical steps that have to be taken to make that happen, very interesting video!

[@withoutpassid]

Amazing educational content. Thank you WSJ.

[@Nosseb2]

Very interesting video ; learned a lot. Nice that you went on the field to to show stuff instead of just B-roll. Also, Heffron's suit is so cool, makes her look really badass, especially in the outdoor shots. Gives me video game vilains vibe.

[@patrickgallagher9069]

I'm a bridge engineer from the west coast. Earthquakes are often more common in mountains too!

[@CausticLemons7]

Really? I would have though the hard rocks would reduce quakes but I guess if you've got an area that created mountains it's basically a fault anyway.

[@patrickgallagher9069]

@CausticLemons7, hard rock reduces the forces, as opposed to bridges on soft soil. Hard rock doesn't jiggle like clays or liquefy like sands. But they are certainly very common in mountainous regions. And often times the peak ground acceleration is highest near the volcanoes, outpacing the reduction in force due to the soil type. It just depends on the location and soil type at the site. And side note: the earth's crust is often softer near plate boundaries (near mountains), as opposed to generally flat inland areas. So, when those rare earthquakes hit inland, the hard rock spreads the shock waves over a much larger than the same energy quake near the late boundaries. Look into the New Madrid earthquake from the 1600's (about) and compare those to any in California in recent decades. Totally massive in New Madrid!

[@GBR9794]

Not really, when I commute on a section of 84 through the mountain, there are many winding roads that can be straightened by digging tunnels and save fuel. There is no earthquake in this area.

[@stickynorth]

This was a great video! Especially for those of us who have to drive on icy roads at least half the year....

[@Dayvit78]

Now this is a good one. I wonder if Ms. Heffron has every been to Ha Giang province in Vietnam. I bet she would love to look at the roads there - tons of switchbaks and all sorts of fun designs.

[@paulorourke5274]

I can easily ask for you!

[@allanwind295]

Nerds, in any and all fields, are fascinating to watch.

[@felicianomario]

Awesome video and information. Relevant for us in Europe as well.

[@sour7lemons]

Good engineering is great economics, awesome video!

[@deuce2293]

glad for the music and animations to keep me focused on the video, thanks to those I clicked off at 2 minutes instead of 1.

[@yuanruichen2564]

That is why the midwest and the southern coastal plains have huge advantages for manufacturing

[@hypothalapotamus5293]

The Mountain West is undeveloped for a reason, with the exception of a handful of hospitable areas with easy transportation routes (The Great Salt Lake Basin, the Snake river, The Columbia river, the Colorado river and its tributaries). Nearly all economic activity in Colorado that isn't related to tourism happens on the Western edge of the Great Plains, not in the mountains.

[@DontUputThatEvilOnMe]

Yes but the mountain west is more beautiful.

[@GBR9794]

@@hypothalapotamus5293 Meanwhile, California farmers produce about 70% to 80% of certain vegetables for the entire US. Silicon Valley still exist.

[@hypothalapotamus5293]

@@GBR9794 The area known as the US mountain west does not typically include the central valley of California. A generous Western boundary would be the Sierra Nevadas and the Cascades.

[@hassanh9372]

Excellent engineering information

[@cristianomarinelli3252]

Shoutout to all the West Virginian drivers who deal with these banked hairpin turns daily and somehow don't crash. From experience, its steep.

[@jaddyrose9318]

What an awesome job

[@Sjalabais]

Now, about those cars doing switchbacks sideways...

[@Sevisstillalive]

can you explain how ADOT ( Arizona) will rebuild Apache trail 88?

[@lucmarchand617]

The video expose real true.here alberta hwy 1 transcanada just almost done huge job twin hwy.the planning take 20 years yes due near water river,national park,CPrail main line calgary- vancouver bc.the gov't in usa and canada is budget due amount work done.west coast are worst due blast rock get better job.alaska bc,yukon got same problems.i built myself pipeline for 30 years access job on mountains region is very expansive,planning,time,crew and install pipe.thanks video.😊

[@augmentationstation]

what i've learned so far: mountain roads are designed just like nascar tracks and its a fun challenge to go as fast as possible

[@davidconner-shover51]

I admittedly used to, many moons ago. These days, my ride is much too large to do much over the speed limit

[@CastBeetle]

Spring shoes!! 😮

[@Samarno9.0]

Here comes summer🎉

[@paulheydarian1281]

Good Content: 😘

[@colekarrh9114]

My favorite type of road love hitting 70 mph on these

[@paillette2010]

Wildlife doesn't appreciate it, though.

[@Danny-fs1hk]

She is a sharp civil engineer.

[@xconnorgrillox]

I love this lady

[@Jojostevie]

I like this

[@Ale-bj7nd]

What's the difference between Freeways and Highways?

[@seanthe100]

A freeway doesn't have stop lights meanwhile a highway can. Also all freeways are a type of highway but not all highways are freeways...

[@carnakthemagnificent336]

As people drive mountain roadways, we need to be thinking about DRIVING, not scenery.

[@admonster11]

In Poland they build flat roads with cost on moutian roads.

[@johnnylawma]

More content like this.

[@scipioafricanus4875]

Impressive

[@kindofbluenyc]

Interesting.

[@deeplife9654]

Actual designing is more complex as I guess.

[@mattstirling7494]

Whoever decided to place a traffic light in the background of the interview deserves a raise. Very meta.

[@Nicolas-uu3jr]

more reports like this...

[@practicalshooter6517]

In many American roads, the "Superelevation" is sometime flat or even reverse. Some seriously bad engineering design.

[@Motoz65]

Trust as a truck driver meaning 18 wheeler I notice trust me.

[@CityLover117]

The best way would be to make it a rail road.

[@letsgoOs1002]

Lol its not a million per mile anymore for a new lane. It is 10 million per mile of new lanes on flat roads. Maybe just maybe its 3-4 million on very rural flat areas. But anywhere where people like its like 10 million per mile.

[@seanthe100]

They did say per Lane

[@AnweshAdhikari]

❤

[@samaipata4756]

Simple answer: BUILD A TUNNEL‼️😉

[@medinadamian]

Wendover productions has entered the chat

[@kevinmanan1304]

We should’ve instead invest in more bore technologies. Tunnel through underneath all the beautiful mountains leaving the nature preserved and avoid all that snow

[@TheSkeewiz]

Tunnels are a maintenance nightmare.

[@GBR9794]

@@TheSkeewiz Not at all, I am migrant from Taiwan and we never had budgeting issues on maintaining roads and tunnels. We are literally on top of a massive earthquake and hurrican zone as well. Sure, our road collapse due to hurricanes every year but we still rebuild it like nothing had happened and tunnel have been proven to be the best way to avoid constant landslides.

[@TheSkeewiz]

@@GBR9794 …and expensive. In my 40+ year career that I’ve worked on civil engineering projects, tunnels are always a last resort. I was actually influential in removing two tunnels for Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railroad due to maintenance issues from operations beyond the planned use. I can go on. Tunnel alternatives during type selections were mostly used as a strawman to (self) eliminate that alternative base on cost, schedule, maintenance, geotechnical and environmental impact due requiring vertical ventilation shafts in sensitive areas.

[@jwj8201]

Super-elevation? What was wrong with the word camber?

[@hdrstratcommsaa7645]

Camber is the slope or curvature of the road surface from the centerline to the edge. It is designed to promote drainage by directing water towards the road’s edges Superelevation (or Banking): superelevation is the banking of the road along curves or turns. It is designed to counteract the centrifugal force experienced by vehicles when navigating curves

[@Tan92lfc]

the expert looks like actress Ashley Lane.

[@alexeykulikov2739]

So, may I suggest the subjects for such esteemed channel’s videos: why 2x2=4; why tea has color; why we have teeth

[@johnd.5601]

That might be a little too complicated for this crowd.

[@kapilajayawardana6883]

Check Sri Lankan expressways,due to high corruption they cost more than this 🤭

[@ix.cryo1]

Build a rail line instead.

[@matthiasgaug1605]

Build a tunnel, it's cheaper

[@magnavoxfifty]

Also in my 47 years I have seen multimillion dollar road renovations fail when trying to replicate what engineers did at the turn of the century these people are idiots and IDK how they even have a job. How do you make a road worse than when it was built in the 1900s? Come to NY and I will show you several places.

[@TamCloncey]

So if its $10M per lane and there's two lanes thats $20M per mile. The same cost as the border wall Trump was building that the lame stream media claimed was impossibly expensive. I guess $20M per mile is actually pretty reasonable, thanks for clarifying WSJ.

[@curlyhairdudeify]

Wow, so cul-d-sac American housing roads made their way into long roads.... the fastest travel distance is a straight line.... now, enjoy taking a longer trip because the road is more winded than a snake, waste more gasoline, and wear out your tires faster. But yeah, Big Oil sponsored government know best it is all for your safety... Winding road are the number 1 cause of head on collisions all over the world, and running off the road. But, yeah,”safety”.

[@bikingmoments]

I’m hoping such considerations are given to bike lanes 😂 not just painting a 3-ft green

[@johnd.5601]

The fact that this is being explained to highly educated Wall Street professionals is terrifying! I knew that a majority of these professionals were dumb but making a story to explain this? I'm truly terrified that there was a meeting explaining the need to elaborate the necessity to make this report.

[@ambafoundation]

joker sending ooooOOO

[@tamlamoore7962]

TAMLA TANETTE MOORE IS THE MOST HIGH AND UNSTOPPABLE TOO...ASE HEKA AMEN RA AHO MOORE NATION GRAND RISING KARMA 🎉🎉🎉🎉😂😂😂

[@penjelajahaspal2581]

indonesian be like :🗿

[@United_Wings]

GG

[@Netryon]

You just lay splines and allow them do bend shrinking in width at turns so there is some of these old roads that could be turned into a 1km snowboarding resorts, but winters are short and there would be no visitors or expensive Christmas town rental - see you next year. Could be afraid of it but isn't working with stones about it spending your time as you can. Why can't you fix that too 4:20 Pirmal Council Xenothreat? It's NY and Manhattan as it was since 2010. Let bewer build the dam.

[@boomsuga]

This is a captain obvious video

[@godtfotplk7895]

🤡🤡🤡 imagine talking about road with all thats happened. PATHETIC!!

[@pissedoffatyt]

Thankful for experts in their fields 🫱🏼‍🫲🏻

[@MISHA_NARANG_SHARMA]

❤