Underground shelters built in to overpasses?

[Drew.Gardonia]

I see a lot of people STILL seeking shelter under overpasses on the highways during tornadoes. This may sound silly, but would it be beneficial to place underground shelters under the overpasses?

Most overpasses have an incline of concrete, how cost effective would it be to dig an area out underneath the incline and put a steel door on the incline that gives access to the shelter so people could take cover if they are on the highway during a tornado?

 

[Mike Moore]

I think it could be beneficial, but they would come with problems like homeless camps setting up in them. Maybe they could be fitted with some kind of electronic lock that only opened on days that local officials deem weather emergencies? Meh, then again we as a country can't afford to maintain the road network we have, so I can't see money surfacing for these kinds of shelters.

I even heard one reporter (I think it was KC news 9) phoning in from under an overpass, and she was so darn cheery that she found a "safe place" to report from. Thankfully the meteorologist broke in and scolded her live on the air. It's hard to sell your viewers on the idea when you own staff ignores you! ;-)

 

[rdale]

how cost effective

Not at all... The return on investment would be clearly in the negative.

 

[Drew.Gardonia]

I think it could be beneficial, but they would come with problems like homeless camps setting up in them. Maybe they could be fitted with some kind of electronic lock that only opened on days that local officials deem weather emergencies? Meh, then again we as a country can't afford to maintain the road network we have, so I can't see money surfacing for these kinds of shelters.

I even heard one reporter (I think it was KC news 9) phoning in from under an overpass, and she was so darn cheery that she found a "safe place" to report from. Thankfully the meteorologist broke in and scolded her live on the air. It's hard to sell your viewers on the idea when you own staff ignores you! ;-)

I was thinking the same about the electronic locks.

 

[Drew.Gardonia]

Not at all... The return on investment would be clearly in the negative.

so saving human lives is negative return investment?

 

[Mike Moore]

I was thinking the same about the electronic locks.

I guess the sheer number of overpasses would also be a factor... would it just be interstates? If so would it be every overpass, or every x number of miles?

I think in the end better public education is the best investment. It should be on the drivers license test IMO.

 

[Rob Wadsworth]

Public schools could get on board for awareness and safety training.
Doubtful that shelters would ever be mandated by the Fed gov't - or even the state for that matter.
So, schools could teach another class that would ultimately be useful.
Make it part of their science program.
Cost/efficacy is the bottom line.

 

[DRMabe]

Could also pose a hazard. Enough people just freak out and stop in the middle of the road when they see a tornado. Imagine hundreds of cars stranded all over the interstate, blocked by abandoned cars under every overpass. You know as well as I do, not everybody will care about clearing the road to make way for others. When people panic.....it's every man for himself.

 

[Albert Moor]

Seems to me most people just blindly drive into tornados anyways, so underpass shelters is a non starter.

 

[Bryan Stokes]

I don't think it's a good idea at all. Highway overpasses is not a safe place for vehicles to congregate during bad weather. Reduced visibility and traffic barreling through is a recipe for disaster. Better education is what's needed and that is where the money is better spent.

Generally speaking, cars are mobile and can easily avoid most weather by simply stopping before the storm or turning away. (If the driver makes a smart decision, which of course, not all do.) Where the real focus needs to be is storm shelters in people's houses or in their neighborhood community. That is where money should be spent...not at highway overpasses.

Bryan

 

[rdale]

so saving human lives is negative return investment?

When the investment is unproductive - yes. If your goal is to save lives at any cost, then put that money into something that kills 1000x more people in accidents annually.

Cars.

 

[Matt Tottle]

I see a lot of people STILL seeking shelter under overpasses on the highways during tornadoes. This may sound silly, but would it be beneficial to place underground shelters under the overpasses?

Most overpasses have an incline of concrete, how cost effective would it be to dig an area out underneath the incline and put a steel door on the incline that gives access to the shelter so people could take cover if they are on the highway during a tornado?

Won't happen. We can't even have mandates for storm shelters in trailer parks for the residents (I know I got flak the last time I gave my $0.02 on that issue, so bring it if you must), so why would we install shelters in overpasses? If you're in a car on the road, you can easily outrun most tornadoes. I'm with Mike, they would be nothing but trouble. They would become homeless toilets/drug dens within minutes of being installed.

 

[Dean Baron]

Who's going to open them up for people to get in?

 

[Matt Tottle]

It was suggested that radio controlled locks be used so that they could be unlocked by the ESO on severe weather days, but that in itself is liability waiting to happen. Say the lock fails to receive the command, people can't get in, and they die in the process.. Can you say "lawsuit"?

 

[Rob Wadsworth]

Throwing major money at anything has never proven to go where it was intended.
Like trying to shovel so many fleas across a barn yard; they never get there.

Making people aware/savvy in jr high and high school might prove to be pivotal.
it is not as though it would be a hard class to teach, and would surely cost much less.
It's all about what NOT to do and what one is SHOULD do when confronted with a tornado.

Maybe another thread should be started?
"Contribution of Ideals: the Do's and Don'ts of a Tornado Emergency" . . .