ABSTRACT
Bridges are built in a variety of locations, many of which are susceptible to multiple extreme hazards. New York City and South Carolina, for example, are regions susceptible to hurricanes and earthquakes, and bridges in all regions are susceptible to vehicle collisions and blasts. In fact, numerous bridges have been damaged by various extreme hazards (Keller & Bruneau 2009). This exposure and vulnerability of bridges to multiple hazards underscores the need to introduce multi-hazard principles into bridge design. Bridge piers in particular are vulnerable elements whose damage could lead to bridge closure or even total collapse as a result of any of the aforemen tioned hazards. Therefore, the objective of this research is to develop an innovative design concept for bridge piers from a multi-hazard perspective.
