The 1994 California Northridge Earthquake was a seismic event that impacted infrastructure, earthquake engineering practices, and community resilience. Thirty years later, TRB hosted a webinar on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM Eastern that reflected on this event’s lasting legacy, discussed advancements in innovative seismic design, and explored the lessons learned for future seismic resilience of bridge structures.

This webinar was sponsored by TRB’s Standing Technical Committees on Foundations of Bridges and Other Structures and Seismic Design and Performance of Bridges.

The slides are linked in the meeting materials. View the recorded webinar below.

Webinar agenda and presenters

1. A historical perspective: Northridge earthquake and California bridges – Mark Mahan, California Department of Transportation

2. The influence of soil conditions and basin geometry on damage patterns in the Northridge earthquake – Kyle Rollins, Brigham Young University

3. From Northridge to resilience: Innovative strategies to ensure post-earthquake functionality – Michel Bruneau, University at Buffalo

4. Question and answer session moderated by Sharid Amiri, California Department of Transportation

The first 60 minutes of the webinar were for presentations and the final 30 minutes were reserved for audience questions.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this webinar, participants can:

1. Articulate the effects of the Northridge earthquake on the industry moving forward

2. Apply new seismic bridge design concepts to improve resiliency

3. Balance mass and stiffness in bridge structure seismic design

Professional Development Hours

This webinar was delivered as a scheduled – e-learning live event and is categorized within RCEP as Technical, Health and Safety.

Professional Development Hours (PDHs) earned on completion of this program were reported to the Registered Continuing Education Program (RCEP). Certificates of Completion are issued to all participants via the RCEP.net online system. Complaints about registered providers may be addressed to RCEP, 1015 15th Street, NW, 8th Fl., Washington, DC, 20005.