On January 17, 1995, a massive M7 earthquake hit Japan’s Hyogo prefecture. This event, which became known as Great Hanshin or Kobe Earthquake, caused catastrophic damage to buildings and infrastructure in the city of Kobe and surrounding areas and caused the deaths of approximately 6,400 people. The earthquake caused severe damage to the Hanshin Expressway route #3, the major highway running through the city of Kobe, including the complete collapse of 635 meters of viaduct, with images of the collapsed section becoming iconic as news media shared the story around…
