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Causeway

January 10, 2024

For other uses, see Causeway (disambiguation).

A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water".[1] It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Track in the Somerset Levels, England, which dates from the Neolithic age.[2] Timber causeways may also be described as both boardwalks and bridges.

Causeway
AncestorNone. (See Ford (crossing))
RelatedNone. (See Step-stone bridge)
DescendantNone. (See Viaduct)
CarriesTraffic, Rail, Cyclists, Pedestrians
MaterialConcrete, Masonry, Earth-fill
MovableNo
Design effortmedium
Falsework requiredNo

Etymology edit

 
Look up rez-de-chaussée or rez, de, or chaussée in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

When first used, the word causeway appeared in a form such as "causey way" making clear its derivation from the earlier form "causey". This word seems to have come from the same source by two different routes. It derives ultimately, from the Latin for heel, calx, and most likely comes from the trampling technique to consolidate earthworks.

Originally, the construction of a causeway utilised earth that had been trodden upon to compact and harden it as much as possible, one layer at a time, often by slaves or flocks of sheep. Today, this work is done by machines. The same technique would have been used for road embankments, raised river banks, sea banks and fortification earthworks.

The second derivation route is simply the hard, trodden surface of a path. The name by this route came to be applied to any firmly-surfaced road. It is now little-used except in dialect and in the names of roads which were originally notable for their solidly-made surface. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica states "causey, a mound or dam, which is derived, through the Norman-French caucie (cf. modern chaussée),[3] from the late Latin via calciata, a road stamped firm with the feet (calcare, to tread)."[4]

The word is comparable in both meanings with the French chaussée, from a form of which it reached English by way of Norman French. The French adjective, chaussée, carries the meaning of having been given a hardened surface, and is used to mean either paved or shod. As a noun chaussée is used on the one hand for a metalled carriageway, and on the other for an embankment with or without a road.

Other languages have a noun with similar dual meaning. In Welsh, it is sarn. The Welsh is relevant here, as it also has a verb, sarnu, meaning to trample. The trampling and ramming technique for consolidating earthworks was used in fortifications and there is a comparable, outmoded form of wall construction technique, used in such work and known as pisé, a word derived not from trampling but from ramming or tamping. The Welsh word cawsai translates directly to the English word 'causeway'; it is possible that, with Welsh being a lineal linguistic descendant of the original native British tongues, the English word derives from the Welsh.[citation needed]

A transport corridor that is carried instead on a series of arches, perhaps approaching a bridge, is a viaduct; a short stretch of viaduct is called an overpass. The distinction between the terms causeway and viaduct becomes blurred when flood-relief culverts are incorporated, though generally a causeway refers to a roadway supported mostly by earth or stone, while a bridge supports a roadway between piers (which may be embedded in embankments). Some low causeways across shore waters become inaccessible when covered at high tide.

History edit

The Aztec city-state of Tenochtitlan had causeways supporting roads and aqueducts. One of the oldest engineered roads yet discovered is the Sweet Track in England. Built in 3807 or 3806 BC,[5] the track was a walkway consisting mainly of planks of oak laid end-to-end, supported by crossed pegs of ash, oak, and lime, driven into the underlying peat.

In East Africa, the Husuni Kubwa (the "Great Fort"), situated outside the town of Kilwa, was an early 14th-century sultan's palace and emporium that contained causeways and platforms at the entrance of the Harbour made from blocks of reef and coral nearly a meter high. These acted as breakwaters, allowing mangroves to grow which is one of the ways the breakwater can be spotted from a distance. Some parts of the causeway are made from the bedrock, but usually the bedrock was used as a base. Coral stone was also used to build up the causeways, with sand and lime being used to cement the cobbles together. However, some of the stones were left loose.[6]

In the 18th century, Dahomey lacked an effective navy hence it built causeways for naval purposes starting in 1774.[7]

Engineering edit

 
Diagram showing how the Wendover Cut-off in Utah was built across salt flats in the early 1920s

The modern embankment may be constructed within a cofferdam: two parallel steel sheet pile or concrete retaining walls, anchored to each other with steel cables or rods. This construction may also serve as a dyke that keeps two bodies of water apart, such as bodies with a different water level on each side, or with salt water on one side and fresh water on the other. This may also be the primary purpose of a structure, the road providing a hardened crest for the dike, slowing erosion in the event of an overflow. It also provides access for maintenance as well perhaps, as a public service.

Examples edit

 
Kaichu Doro in Uruma, Okinawa-Honto, the main island of the Ryukyu Islands in Japan.

Notable causeways include those that connect Singapore and Malaysia (the Johor-Singapore Causeway), Bahrain and Saudi Arabia (25-km long King Fahd Causeway) and Venice to the mainland, all of which carry roadways and railways. In the Netherlands there are a number of prominent dikes which also double as causeways, including the Afsluitdijk, Brouwersdam, and Markerwaarddijk. In the Republic of Panama a causeway connects the islands of Perico, Flamenco, and Naos to Panama City on the mainland. It also serves as a breakwater for ships entering the Panama Canal.

Causeways are also common in Florida, where low bridges may connect several human-made islands, often with a much higher bridge (or part of a single bridge) in the middle so that taller boats may pass underneath safely. Causeways are most often used to connect the barrier islands with the mainland. In the case of the Courtney Campbell Causeway, however, the mainland (Hillsborough County) is connected by a causeway to a peninsula (Pinellas County). A well-known causeway is the NASA Causeway connecting the town of Titusville on the Florida mainland to the rocket-launching facility at the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island.

The Churchill Barriers in Orkney are some of the most notable sets of causeways in Europe. Constructed in waters up to 18 metres deep, the four barriers link five islands on the eastern side of the natural harbour at Scapa Flow. They were built during World War II as military defences for the harbour, on the orders of Winston Churchill.

The Estrada do Istmo connecting the islands of Taipa and Coloane in Macau was initially built as a causeway. The sea on both sides of the causeway then became shallower as a result of silting, and mangroves began to conquer the area. Later, land reclamation took place on both sides of the road and the area has subsequently been named Cotai and become home to several casino complexes.

Specific causeways around the world edit

Various causeways in the world:

Disadvantages edit

 
Satellite photo of the Great Salt Lake from August 2018 showing a major color difference between the northern and southern portions of the lake as a result of a mineral imbalance caused by a railroad causeway.

Unlike tunnels or bridges, causeways do not permit shipping through the strait which can cause problems. In some cases, causeways were built with "gates" or other facilities to permit shipping to pass through.

Ecological consequences edit

Causeways affect currents and may therefore be involved in beach erosion or changed deposition patterns; this effect has been a problem at the Hindenburgdamm in northern Germany. During hurricane seasons, the winds and rains of approaching tropical storms—as well as waves generated by the storm in the surrounding bodies of water—make traversing causeways problematic at best and impossibly dangerous during the fiercest parts of the storms. For this reason (and related reasons, such as the need to minimize traffic jams on both the roads approaching the causeway and the causeway itself), emergency evacuation of island residents is a high priority for local, regional, and even national authorities.

Causeways can separate populations of wildlife, putting further pressure on endangered species.

Causeways can cause a mineral imbalance between portions of a body of water. For example, a causeway built in the Great Salt Lake has caused the northern half of the lake to have much higher salinity, to the point that the two halves show a major color imbalance (as can be seen in the image at right). Furthermore, the difference in salinity has become so severe that native brine shrimp cannot survive in much of the waters, with the northern part being too salty and the southern part being insufficiently salty.

Gallery edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary 1971.
  2. ^ Williams, Robin; Williams, Romey (1992). The Somerset Levels. Bradford on Avon: Ex Libris Press. pp. 35–36. ISBN 0-948578-38-6.
  3. ^ Wedgwood, Hensleigh (1855). "On False Etymologies". Transactions of the Philological Society (6): 66.
  4. ^ "Causeway" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.
  5. ^ Brunning, Richard (February 2001). "The Somerset Levels". Current Archaeology. XV (4) (172 (Special issue on Wetlands)): 139–143.
  6. ^ Pollard, Edward (2008). "Inter-Tidal Causeways and Platforms of the 13th- to 16th-Century City-States of Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania". The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. 1 (37): 98–114. doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.2007.00167.x. S2CID 161753263.
  7. ^ Coetzee, DanielJ.M.; Eysturlid, Lee W. (2013). Philosophers of War: The Evolution of History's Greatest Military Thinkers [2 Volumes]: The Evolution of History's Greatest Military Thinkers. ABC-CLIO. p. 353. ISBN 9780313070334.

Further reading edit

  • Oxford English Dictionary. 1971. ASIN B01JXP1GBY.
  • Collins Robert French Dictionary (5th ed.). 1998. ISBN 0-00-470526-2.
  • Nouveau Petit Larousse Illustré (in French). Paris. 1934.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Grape, W. (1994). The Bayeux Tapestry. Munich: Prestel. ISBN 3-7913-1365-7.
  • Evans, H. M.; Thomas, W. O. (1953). The New Welsh Dictionary (Y Geiriadur Newydd). Llandybie: Llyfrau'r Dryw.

External links edit

  •   Media related to causeways at Wikimedia Commons

January 10, 2024
causeway, other, uses, disambiguation, this, article, possibly, contains, original, research, please, improve, verifying, claims, made, adding, inline, citations, statements, consisting, only, original, research, should, removed, november, 2018, learn, when, r. For other uses see Causeway disambiguation This article possibly contains original research Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations Statements consisting only of original research should be removed November 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message A causeway is a track road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across a low or wet place or piece of water 1 It can be constructed of earth masonry wood or concrete One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Track in the Somerset Levels England which dates from the Neolithic age 2 Timber causeways may also be described as both boardwalks and bridges CausewayThe Hindenburgdamm Rail Causeway across the Wadden Sea to the island of Sylt in Schleswig Holstein GermanyAncestorNone See Ford crossing RelatedNone See Step stone bridge DescendantNone See Viaduct CarriesTraffic Rail Cyclists PedestriansMaterialConcrete Masonry Earth fillMovableNoDesign effortmediumFalsework requiredNo Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Engineering 4 Examples 4 1 Specific causeways around the world 5 Disadvantages 5 1 Ecological consequences 6 Gallery 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksEtymology edit nbsp Look up rez de chaussee or rez de or chaussee in Wiktionary the free dictionary When first used the word causeway appeared in a form such as causey way making clear its derivation from the earlier form causey This word seems to have come from the same source by two different routes It derives ultimately from the Latin for heel calx and most likely comes from the trampling technique to consolidate earthworks Originally the construction of a causeway utilised earth that had been trodden upon to compact and harden it as much as possible one layer at a time often by slaves or flocks of sheep Today this work is done by machines The same technique would have been used for road embankments raised river banks sea banks and fortification earthworks The second derivation route is simply the hard trodden surface of a path The name by this route came to be applied to any firmly surfaced road It is now little used except in dialect and in the names of roads which were originally notable for their solidly made surface The 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica states causey a mound or dam which is derived through the Norman French caucie cf modern chaussee 3 from the late Latin via calciata a road stamped firm with the feet calcare to tread 4 The word is comparable in both meanings with the French chaussee from a form of which it reached English by way of Norman French The French adjective chaussee carries the meaning of having been given a hardened surface and is used to mean either paved or shod As a noun chaussee is used on the one hand for a metalled carriageway and on the other for an embankment with or without a road Other languages have a noun with similar dual meaning In Welsh it is sarn The Welsh is relevant here as it also has a verb sarnu meaning to trample The trampling and ramming technique for consolidating earthworks was used in fortifications and there is a comparable outmoded form of wall construction technique used in such work and known as pise a word derived not from trampling but from ramming or tamping The Welsh word cawsai translates directly to the English word causeway it is possible that with Welsh being a lineal linguistic descendant of the original native British tongues the English word derives from the Welsh citation needed A transport corridor that is carried instead on a series of arches perhaps approaching a bridge is a viaduct a short stretch of viaduct is called an overpass The distinction between the terms causeway and viaduct becomes blurred when flood relief culverts are incorporated though generally a causeway refers to a roadway supported mostly by earth or stone while a bridge supports a roadway between piers which may be embedded in embankments Some low causeways across shore waters become inaccessible when covered at high tide History editThe Aztec city state of Tenochtitlan had causeways supporting roads and aqueducts One of the oldest engineered roads yet discovered is the Sweet Track in England Built in 3807 or 3806 BC 5 the track was a walkway consisting mainly of planks of oak laid end to end supported by crossed pegs of ash oak and lime driven into the underlying peat In East Africa the Husuni Kubwa the Great Fort situated outside the town of Kilwa was an early 14th century sultan s palace and emporium that contained causeways and platforms at the entrance of the Harbour made from blocks of reef and coral nearly a meter high These acted as breakwaters allowing mangroves to grow which is one of the ways the breakwater can be spotted from a distance Some parts of the causeway are made from the bedrock but usually the bedrock was used as a base Coral stone was also used to build up the causeways with sand and lime being used to cement the cobbles together However some of the stones were left loose 6 In the 18th century Dahomey lacked an effective navy hence it built causeways for naval purposes starting in 1774 7 Engineering edit nbsp Diagram showing how the Wendover Cut off in Utah was built across salt flats in the early 1920sThe modern embankment may be constructed within a cofferdam two parallel steel sheet pile or concrete retaining walls anchored to each other with steel cables or rods This construction may also serve as a dyke that keeps two bodies of water apart such as bodies with a different water level on each side or with salt water on one side and fresh water on the other This may also be the primary purpose of a structure the road providing a hardened crest for the dike slowing erosion in the event of an overflow It also provides access for maintenance as well perhaps as a public service Examples edit nbsp Kaichu Doro in Uruma Okinawa Honto the main island of the Ryukyu Islands in Japan Notable causeways include those that connect Singapore and Malaysia the Johor Singapore Causeway Bahrain and Saudi Arabia 25 km long King Fahd Causeway and Venice to the mainland all of which carry roadways and railways In the Netherlands there are a number of prominent dikes which also double as causeways including the Afsluitdijk Brouwersdam and Markerwaarddijk In the Republic of Panama a causeway connects the islands of Perico Flamenco and Naos to Panama City on the mainland It also serves as a breakwater for ships entering the Panama Canal Causeways are also common in Florida where low bridges may connect several human made islands often with a much higher bridge or part of a single bridge in the middle so that taller boats may pass underneath safely Causeways are most often used to connect the barrier islands with the mainland In the case of the Courtney Campbell Causeway however the mainland Hillsborough County is connected by a causeway to a peninsula Pinellas County A well known causeway is the NASA Causeway connecting the town of Titusville on the Florida mainland to the rocket launching facility at the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island The Churchill Barriers in Orkney are some of the most notable sets of causeways in Europe Constructed in waters up to 18 metres deep the four barriers link five islands on the eastern side of the natural harbour at Scapa Flow They were built during World War II as military defences for the harbour on the orders of Winston Churchill The Estrada do Istmo connecting the islands of Taipa and Coloane in Macau was initially built as a causeway The sea on both sides of the causeway then became shallower as a result of silting and mangroves began to conquer the area Later land reclamation took place on both sides of the road and the area has subsequently been named Cotai and become home to several casino complexes Specific causeways around the world edit This section needs expansion You can help by adding to it April 2009 Various causeways in the world Adam s Bridge historic causeway which existed till 1480 CE dubious discuss Afsluitdijk Netherlands Canso Causeway Nova Scotia Canada 45 38 39 N 61 25 06 W 45 6443 N 61 4184 W 45 6443 61 4184 Churchill Barriers 4 causeways in Orkney Scotland Colaba Causeway Mumbai India 18 55 N 72 49 E 18 91 N 72 81 E 18 91 72 81 Courtney Campbell Causeway Tampa Bay Florida United States Gaoji Causeway Xiamen China Hindenburgdamm 11km rail link between the island of Sylt and the German mainland 54 53 07 N 8 32 25 E 54 8852 N 8 5404 E 54 8852 8 5404 Johor Singapore Causeway 1 27 07 N 103 46 12 E 1 4520 N 103 7700 E 1 4520 103 7700 King Fahd Causeway Bahrain Saudi Arabia 26 11 03 N 50 19 27 E 26 1841 N 50 3241 E 26 1841 50 3241 Lake Cuitzeo Causeway Michoacan Mexico 19 9380 N 101 1547 W Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Metairie Louisiana Southern Mandeville Louisiana Northern Lucin Cutoff railroad causeway across the Great Salt Lake in Utah USA MacArthur Causeway Florida United States Mahim Causeway Mumbai India 19 02 55 N 72 50 17 E 19 04871 N 72 83816 E 19 04871 72 83816 Pulaski Skyway Robert Moses Causeway Bay Shore Long Island New York United States 1 Romodaemningen 9km link between Romo and the Danish mainland Sanibel Causeway Sanibel Florida United States Sloedam Zeeland Netherlands Swarkestone causeway Derby England United Kingdom The Causeway Western Australia Venice 45 27 13 N 12 17 56 E 45 4535 N 12 2990 E 45 4535 12 2990 Yolo Causeway California USA Ponte Conde de Linhares Panjim Goa India The 3 2 km route was the longest causeway in Asia at the time of its completion in 1634 Cherkasy Dam uk Cherkaska damba UkraineDisadvantages edit nbsp Satellite photo of the Great Salt Lake from August 2018 showing a major color difference between the northern and southern portions of the lake as a result of a mineral imbalance caused by a railroad causeway Unlike tunnels or bridges causeways do not permit shipping through the strait which can cause problems In some cases causeways were built with gates or other facilities to permit shipping to pass through Ecological consequences edit Causeways affect currents and may therefore be involved in beach erosion or changed deposition patterns this effect has been a problem at the Hindenburgdamm in northern Germany During hurricane seasons the winds and rains of approaching tropical storms as well as waves generated by the storm in the surrounding bodies of water make traversing causeways problematic at best and impossibly dangerous during the fiercest parts of the storms For this reason and related reasons such as the need to minimize traffic jams on both the roads approaching the causeway and the causeway itself emergency evacuation of island residents is a high priority for local regional and even national authorities Causeways can separate populations of wildlife putting further pressure on endangered species Causeways can cause a mineral imbalance between portions of a body of water For example a causeway built in the Great Salt Lake has caused the northern half of the lake to have much higher salinity to the point that the two halves show a major color imbalance as can be seen in the image at right Furthermore the difference in salinity has become so severe that native brine shrimp cannot survive in much of the waters with the northern part being too salty and the southern part being insufficiently salty Gallery edit nbsp The Julia Tuttle Causeway one of the major arteries connecting Miami and Miami Beach in Florida nbsp Afsluitdijk with the North Sea on the left and the IJsselmeer on the right nbsp Aerial view of the Lucin Cutoff trestle before removal The 1950s causeway can be seen to the right of the trestle nbsp The causeway to Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake Utah nbsp The Johor Singapore Causeway is an important road which connects Singapore to Malaysia nbsp The Sorell Causeway in Tasmania Australia nbsp Lake Pontchartrain Causeway bridge in New Orleans nbsp Causeway across Colwyn Bay Beach Wales United Kingdom nbsp The King Fahd Causeway from satellite photo nbsp Causeway in St George s Bermuda nbsp Causeway that connects Victor Harbor with Granite Island in Australia Completed in 1867 nbsp Canso Causeway from Cape Breton IslandSee also editCausey Arch County Durham England Causewayed enclosure Kulgrinda SacbeReferences edit Oxford English Dictionary 1971 Williams Robin Williams Romey 1992 The Somerset Levels Bradford on Avon Ex Libris Press pp 35 36 ISBN 0 948578 38 6 Wedgwood Hensleigh 1855 On False Etymologies Transactions of the Philological Society 6 66 Causeway Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th ed 1911 Brunning Richard February 2001 The Somerset Levels Current Archaeology XV 4 172 Special issue on Wetlands 139 143 Pollard Edward 2008 Inter Tidal Causeways and Platforms of the 13th to 16th Century City States of Kilwa Kisiwani Tanzania The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 1 37 98 114 doi 10 1111 j 1095 9270 2007 00167 x S2CID 161753263 Coetzee DanielJ M Eysturlid Lee W 2013 Philosophers of War The Evolution of History s Greatest Military Thinkers 2 Volumes The Evolution of History s Greatest Military Thinkers ABC CLIO p 353 ISBN 9780313070334 Further reading editOxford English Dictionary 1971 ASIN B01JXP1GBY Collins Robert French Dictionary 5th ed 1998 ISBN 0 00 470526 2 Nouveau Petit Larousse Illustre in French Paris 1934 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Grape W 1994 The Bayeux Tapestry Munich Prestel ISBN 3 7913 1365 7 Evans H M Thomas W O 1953 The New Welsh Dictionary Y Geiriadur Newydd Llandybie Llyfrau r Dryw External links edit nbsp Media related to causeways at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Causeway amp oldid 1159503877, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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