The Hindenburgdamm rail causeway across the Wadden Sea to the island of Sylt in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated by a bank, usually across a broad body of water or wetland. A transport corridor that is carried instead on a series of arches, perhaps approaching a bridge, is a viaduct. In the U.S. 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. Many causeways are tidal, being covered for a period surrounding high tide. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1004x670, 74 KB) Summary The Hindenburgdamm, a causeway joining Sylt to mainland Schleswig-Holstein. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1004x670, 74 KB) Summary The Hindenburgdamm, a causeway joining Sylt to mainland Schleswig-Holstein. ... Hindenburgdamm on a map of the region. ... Satellite image of the southwestern part of the Wadden Sea. ... The German island of Sylt is located in the North Sea off the coast of Germany and Denmark. ... Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the 16 Bundesländer in Germany. ... A body of water is any significant natural pool of water such as an ocean, a lake, or a river, covering the Earth or another planet. ... A subtropical wetland in Florida, USA, with an endangered American Crocodile. ... Torontos Bloor Street Viaduct bridges the Don valley; road traffic uses the upper deck, rail traffic uses the lower deck. ... Overpass in East Potomac Park, Washington, D.C. Flyover in Miami Beach, Florida An overpass (In UK, most Commonwealth countries flyover) is a bridge, road or similar structure that crosses over another road. ... A culvert is a flowing body of water which passes underneath a road, railway, or embankment, or the part thereof that does so. ... The tide is the cyclic rising and falling of Earths ocean surface caused by the tidal forces of the Moon and the Sun acting on the Earth. ...

Derivation of the word

When first used, the word 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 as near certainly as may be, comes from the trampling technique for consolidating earthworks. In Antiquity, the construction was trodden down, one layer at a time, by people such as slaves. Alternatively, a flock of sheep might be used. Today, a machine does the job. The same technique would have been used for road embankments, raised river banks, sea banks and fortification earthworks. (The layers, though not the trampling action, can be seen in the Bayeux Tapestry: Building Hastings Castle.) It has been suggested that Chattel slavery be merged into this article or section. ... Species See text. ... Table of Fortification, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... The Bayeux Tapestry (French: Tapisserie de Bayeux) is a 50 cm by 70 m (20in by 230ft) long embroidered cloth which depicts scenes commemorating the Battle of Hastings in 1066, with annotations in Latin. ...

The second derivation route is simply the hard, trodden surface of a path. The name by this route, came to be applied to a 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 Lake Ponchartrain Causeway in Louisiana, USA

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. Image File history File links Lake_Pontchartrain_Causeway. ... Image File history File links Lake_Pontchartrain_Causeway. ... The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, or the Causeway, consists of two parallel bridges that are the longest bridges in the world by total length. ... Official language(s) English and French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans at last census; probably Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The Norman language is a Romance language, one of the Oïl languages. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ...

Engineering

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. dam stands for dekametre. ... Parallel is a term in geometry and in everyday life that refers to a property in Euclidean space of two or more lines or planes, or a combination of these. ... Look up Pile in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Structure in the foreground is called a mud box - a kind of retaining wall built to hold the flood waters in check. ... A ships or boats anchor is used to attach the vessel to the bottom at a specific point. ... A dyke (or dike) is a stone or earthen wall constructed as a defence or as a boundary. ... Salt water may refer to: Saltwater, the name of a single released by UK electronic musician Chicane For information on water from a sea or ocean, see sea water For information on the concept of saltiness of a body of water, see salinity For information on salt water aquariums, see... For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight. ...

Examples of their use

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, both of which carry roadways and railways. In the Netherlands there are a number of prominent dykes which double as causeways, including the Afsluitdijk, Brouwersdam, and Markerwaarddijk. In Louisiana, two very long bridges, called the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, stretch across Lake Pontchartrain for almost 38 km, making them the world's longest bridges (if total length is considered instead of span length). 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. The oldest engineered road yet discovered is the Sweet Track in England, dating from the 3800s BC. The Johor-Singapore Causeway across the Straits of Johor. ... View of Venice to San Giorgio Maggiore island from St Marks Campanile. ... Afsluitdijk The Afsluitdijk (Closure-dike) is a major dam in the Netherlands, constructed between 1927 and 1933 and running from Den Oever on Wieringen in North Holland province, to the village of Zurich (mun. ... The 32 km long Afsluitdijk separates the IJsselmeer from the North Sea, protecting thousands of km² of land. ... Official language(s) English and French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans at last census; probably Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq. ... Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Heading south on the Causeway toward New Orleans The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway consists of two parallel bridges that are the longest bridges in the world by total length. ... Landsat image of Lake Pontchartrain Map showing Lake Pontchartrain Lake Pontchartrains north shore at Fontainebleau State Park near Mandeville, Louisiana in 2004 Lake Pontchartrain at New Orleans during Hurricane Georges in 1998 Lake Pontchartrain (local English pronunciation ) (French: Lac Pontchartrain, pronounced ) is a brackish lake in southeastern Louisiana, the... Panama City (Spanish: Ciudad de Panamá), population 708,738, is the capital of Panama, located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, at . ... A canal tug, making its way down to the Caribbean end of the canal, waits to be joined by a ship in the uppermost chamber of the Gatun Locks. ... The Sweet Track is an ancient causeway in the Somerset Levels, England. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population –mid-2004... (40th century BC - 39th century BC - 38th century BC - other centuries) (5th millennium BC - 4th millennium BC - 3rd millennium BC) Events Construction in England of the Sweet Track, the Worlds first known engineered roadway. ...

Causeways are also common in Florida, where low bridges may connect several man-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. Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,794 sq mi (170,451 km²)  - Width 162 miles (260 km)  - Length 497 miles (800 km)  - % water 17. ... Some boats in a harbor in Miami Beach, Florida A boat is a watercraft, usually smaller than most ships. ... In geography, a bar is a linear shoaling landform feature within a body of water. ... This article is about the geomorphological/geopolitical term; MAINLAND is also a cheese brand owned by Fonterra, a New Zealand dairy company. ...

The Churchill Barriers in Orkney are 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 Churchill Barriers are a series of four causeways in the Orkney Islands, with a total length of 2. ... The Orkney Islands form one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland, and are a Lieutenancy Area. ... Scapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was an English politician and author, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. ...

Precautions in their use

Causeways affect currents and may therefore be involved in beach erosion or changed deposition patterns. This, for instance, has been a problem at the Hindenburgdamm in northern Germany. Causeways are often a problem with an approaching hurricane or strong tropical storm, because the high winds and waves make them dangerous. Along with traffic jams, this is a major reason for the early evacuation of island residents during a weather emergency. Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. Erosion s the displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock and other particles) by the agents of wind, water or ice, by downward or down-slope movement in response to gravity or by living organisms (in the case of... Hindenburgdamm on a map of the region. ... This article is about weather phenomena. ... This article is about weather phenomena. ... Wind is the roughly horizontal movement of air (as opposed to an air current) caused by uneven heating of the Earths surface. ... A wave is a disturbance that propagates through space, often transferring energy. ... Traffic jams are common in heavily populated areas. ... Evacuation can have several meanings: In wilderness first aid, evacuation is the transport of a seriously injured person out of the wilderness to the nearest point an ambulance can reach to take them to the hospital, or to the nearest emergency room. ...

References

• Oxford English Dictionary. 1971. ISBN 0-19-861212-5.
• Collins Robert French Dictionary, 5th edn. 1998. ISBN 0-00-470526-2.
• Nouveau Petit Larousse Illustré, Paris. 1934.
• Grape, W. The Bayeux Tapestry. Prestel, Munich and New York. 1994. ISBN 3-7913-1365-7.
• Evans, H.M. and Thomas, W.O. The New Welsh Dictionary (Y Geiriadur Newydd). Llyfrau'r Dryw, Llandybie. 1953.

External links

• Interactive satellite images of various causeways in the world:
  • Canso Causeway, Nova Scotia
  • Hindenburgdamm, Germany
  • Malaysia-Singapore
  • Lake Ponchartrain, Louisiana
  • Saudi Arabia-Bahrain
  • Venice