This report discusses how determining the engineering performance of the highway infrastructure, especially following extreme events, is key to improving design and construction practices, thereby providing improved safety to the traveling public. On April 14 and 16, 2016, the Kumamoto Prefecture on the Japanese island of Kyushu experienced two very large earthquakes, a magnitude 6.5 followed 28 h later by a magnitude 7.3. These earthquakes caused extensive damage to the built infrastructure, including the transportation infrastructure. At the request of Japan, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) organized a Transportation Infrastructure Reconnaissance Team to assess damage to bridges and other highway structures. This report presents the findings of the team during the reconnaissance. It describes the performance of new bridges that had been recently designed and older bridges that had been retrofitted for earthquakes.

This report will be useful to bridge owners, practicing engineers, and researchers. Lessons learned will be useful for improving the resilience of bridges so that lives may be saved in future extreme events.

Recommended citation: Federal Highway Administration, Performance of Transportation Infrastructure During Kumamoto Earthquakes of April 14 and 16, 2016—A Reconnaissance Report (Washington, DC: 2023) https://doi.org/10.21949/1521940