A Bridge Extended by 1 Meter

The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan, one of the longest suspension bridges in the world, ended up being 1 meter longer than originally designed due to an earthquake during construction. During the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995, a magnitude 7.3 tremor struck the site where the main towers were being erected. This earthquake caused the seabed ground to shift, increasing the distance between the two towers by 1 meter. Although it was a crisis that threatened to halt construction from the beginning, civil engineers confirmed the structural safety and then modified the cable and deck designs on the spot to accommodate the increased distance, successfully completing the bridge. This is an anecdote that showcases the remarkable flexibility of civil engineering, where a major earthquake, instead of collapsing the bridge, actually made it 1 meter longer.