imported>Regulov: /* History */ cramming too much into a sentence dilutes it

2025-08-21T19:45:05Z

History: cramming too much into a sentence dilutes it

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{{Short description|Route raised up on an embankment}}
{{Other uses}}

{{Original research|date=November 2018}}
{{BridgeTypePix
|type_name = Causeway
|image = Singapore-Johor Causeway.jpg
|image_title = The [[Johor–Singapore Causeway]] supports over 100 million annual international border crossings.
|sibling_names = None. (See [[Step-stone bridge]]) 
|descendent_names = None. (See [[Viaduct]]) 
|ancestor_names = None. (See [[Ford (crossing)]]) 
|carries = [[Traffic]], [[Rail transport|Rail]], Cyclists, Pedestrians
|span_range =
|material = Concrete, Masonry, Earth-fill
|movable = No
|design = medium
|falsework = No
|}}

A '''causeway''' is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an [[embankment (earthworks)|embankment]] across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water".{{sfn|Oxford English Dictionary|1971}} 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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Robin |last2=Williams |first2=Romey |title=The Somerset Levels|year=1992|pages=35–36|publisher=Ex Libris Press|location=Bradford on Avon|isbn=0-948578-38-6}}</ref> [[Timber trackway|Timber causeways]] may also be described as both [[boardwalk]]s and [[bridge]]s.

== Etymology ==
{{wiktionary|rez-de-chaussée|rez||de|chaussée}}
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, {{lang|la|calx}}, and most likely comes from the trampling technique to consolidate [[Earthworks (engineering)|earthworks]].

Originally, the construction of a causeway used 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 [[Causewayed enclosure|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 {{lang|nrf|caucie}} (cf. modern {{lang|fr|chaussée}}),<ref>{{cite journal |last=Wedgwood |first=Hensleigh |author-link=Hensleigh Wedgwood |title=On False Etymologies |journal=Transactions of the Philological Society |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3924121;view=1up;seq=76 |year=1855 |issue=6 |pages=66}}</ref> from the late Latin {{lang|la|via calciata}}, a road stamped firm with the feet ({{lang|la|calcare}}, to tread)."<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Causeway|short=1}}</ref>

The word is comparable in both meanings with the [[French language|French]] ''{{Linktext|chaussée|lang=fr}}'', from a form of which it reached [[English language|English]] by way of [[Norman language|Norman French]]. The French adjective {{lang|fr|chaussée}} carries the meaning of having been given a hardened surface and is used to mean either paved or shod. As a noun {{lang|fr|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 language|Welsh]], it is {{lang|cy|sarn}}. The Welsh is relevant here, as it also has a verb {{lang|cy|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 {{lang|cy|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|date=April 2018}}

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 [[culvert]]s 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==
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,<ref Name="Current_Archaeology_somerset-levels">{{cite journal|last=Brunning|first=Richard|title=The Somerset Levels|pages=139–143|volume=XV (4)|issue=172 (Special issue on Wetlands)|journal=Current Archaeology|date=February 2001}}</ref> the track was a walkway consisting mainly of planks of [[oak]] laid end-to-end, supported by crossed pegs of [[ash tree|ash]], oak, and [[Tilia|lime]], driven into the underlying peat.

In [[East Africa]], the Husuni Kubwa (the "Great Fort"), situated outside the town of [[Kilwa Kisiwani|Kilwa]], was an early 14th-century sultan's palace and emporium that featured causeways made from blocks of reef and coral nearly a meter high. These acted as [[Breakwater (structure)|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.<ref name=Pollard2008intertidal>{{cite journal|last1=Pollard|first1=Edward|title=Inter-Tidal Causeways and Platforms of the 13th- to 16th-Century City-States of Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania|journal=The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology|date=2008|volume=1|issue=37|pages=98–114|doi=10.1111/j.1095-9270.2007.00167.x|bibcode=2008IJNAr..37...98P |s2cid=161753263}}</ref>

In [[Scotland]], the skirmish known as Clense the Calsey, or [[Cleanse the Causeway]], took place in the [[Royal Mile|High Street of Edinburgh]] in 1520.<ref name="w533">{{cite web | title=Cleanse Causeway | website=Battle of Linlithgow Bridge | url=http://www.bolb.org.uk/history/the-minority/cleanse-causeway | access-date=13 November 2024}}</ref>

In the 18th century, [[Dahomey]] lacked an effective navy hence it built causeways for [[naval warfare|naval purposes]] starting in 1774.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Coetzee|first1=DanielJ.M.|last2=Eysturlid|first2= Lee W.|title= Philosophers of War: The Evolution of History's Greatest Military Thinkers [2 Volumes]: The Evolution of History's Greatest Military Thinkers|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=DW2jAQAAQBAJ&dq=benin+armor&pg=PA353|year=2013|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|pages=353|isbn=9780313070334}}</ref>

==Engineering==
[[File:Wendover Cut-off construction.png|thumb|left|Diagram showing how the [[Wendover Cut-off]] in [[Utah]] was built across [[salt pan (geology)|salt flats]] in the early 1920s]]
The modern embankment may be constructed within a ''[[cofferdam]]'': two [[parallel (geometry)|parallel]] steel sheet [[Deep foundation|pile]] or [[concrete]] [[retaining wall]]s, [[anchor]]ed to each other with steel cables or rods. This construction may also serve as a [[dyke (construction)|dyke]] that keeps two bodies of water apart, such as bodies with a different water level on each side, or with [[Seawater|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==
[[File:Afsluitdijk 1031.jpg|thumb|[[Afsluitdijk]] with the [[North Sea]] on the left and the [[IJsselmeer]] on the right]]
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 [[island]]s, often with a much higher bridge (or part of a single bridge) in the middle so that taller [[boat]]s may pass underneath safely. Causeways are most often used to connect the [[barrier island]]s with the [[mainland]]. In the case of the [[Courtney Campbell Causeway]], however, the mainland ([[Hillsborough County, Florida|Hillsborough County]]) is connected by a causeway to a peninsula ([[Pinellas County, Florida|Pinellas County]]). A well-known causeway is the [[NASA Causeway]] connecting the town of [[Titusville, Florida|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.

=== Examples of causeways around the world ===
* [[Adam's Bridge]], historic causeway which existed until 1480 CE {{Dubious|date=September 2022}}
* [[Afsluitdijk]], [[Netherlands]].
* [[Canso Causeway]], [[Nova Scotia]], Canada ({{Coord|45.6443|-61.4184|type:landmark}})
* [[Churchill Barriers]], 4 causeways in [[Orkney]], [[Scotland]]
* [[Colaba Causeway]], [[Mumbai]], India {{Coord|18.91|N|72.81|E|type:landmark}}
* [[Courtney Campbell Causeway]], [[Tampa Bay]], Florida, United States
* [[Gaoji Causeway]], [[Xiamen]], China
* [[Hindenburgdamm]], 11km rail link between the island of [[Sylt]] and the [[Germany| German mainland]] ({{Coord|54.8852|8.5404|type:landmark}})
* [[Johor–Singapore Causeway]] ({{Coord|1.4520|103.7700|type:landmark}})
* [[King Fahd Causeway]], [[Bahrain]], [[Saudi Arabia]] ({{Coord|26.1841|50.3241|type:landmark}})
* [[Lake Cuitzeo]] Causeway, [[Michoacán]], Mexico ([https://www.google.com.mx/maps/@19.9504986,-101.1683381,13.11z?hl=en 19.9380°N 101.1547°W])
* [[Lake Pontchartrain Causeway]], [[Metairie, Louisiana]], Southern; [[Mandeville, Louisiana]], Northern, United States
* [[Lucin Cutoff]] railroad causeway across the [[Great Salt Lake]] in Utah, USA
* [[MacArthur Causeway]], [[Florida]], United States
* [[Mahim Causeway]], [[Mumbai]], India {{Coord|19.04871|N|72.83816|E|type:landmark}}
* [[Pulaski Skyway]]
* [[Robert Moses Causeway]], [[Bay Shore]], [[Long Island]], [[New York (state)|New York]], United States ([https://www.google.com/maps/place/Robert+Moses+Causeway,+Bay+Shore,+NY+11706/@40.7253413,-73.2891574,17])
* [[Rømødæmningen]], 9km link between [[Rømø]], and the [[Denmark|Danish mainland]]
* [[Sanibel Causeway]], [[Sanibel]], Florida, United States
* [[Sloedam]], [[Zeeland]], [[Netherlands]]
* [[Swarkestone]] causeway, [[Derby]], England, United Kingdom
* [[The Causeway, Bermuda|The Causeway]], [[Bermuda]]
* [[The Causeway]], [[Western Australia]]
* [[Venice]] ({{Coord|45.4535|12.2990|type:landmark}})
* [[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:Черкаська дамба]]), Ukraine
* [[Cayo Santa María Causeway]], Cuba
* [[Cayo Coco Causeway]], Cuba

==Disadvantages==
===Impact to shipping===
[[File:Great Salt Lake by Sentinel-2.jpg|thumb|Satellite photo of the [[Great Salt Lake]] in [[Utah]], U.S.A., 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 the [[Lucin Cutoff]].]]

A major drawback of causeways is that, unlike tunnels or bridges, they prevent shipping through the strait they cross. In some cases, causeways have been built with "gates" or other facilities to permit shipping to pass through.

===Ecological consequences===

Causeways affect currents and may therefore be involved in [[coastal erosion|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 storm]]s—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 jam]]s 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, the [[Lucin Cutoff]], built across 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. 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 ==
<gallery class="center" mode="packed">
File:I-195 Miami eastbound.jpg|The [[Julia Tuttle Causeway]], one of the major arteries connecting [[Miami]] and [[Miami Beach, Florida|Miami Beach]] in [[Florida]]
File:Carver Bridge.jpg|Causeway on the [[West Branch Reservoir]] in [[Carmel, New York]], typical of the form throughout the [[New York City water supply system]]
File:Lucin_Cutoff_aerial.jpg|Aerial view of the [[Lucin Cutoff]] railway trestle in [[Utah]], U.S.A., before removal. The 1950s causeway is visible to its right.
File:Antelope Island Causeway.jpg|The causeway to Antelope Island in the [[Great Salt Lake]], Utah
File:Empty Singapore-Malaysia Causeway.jpg|The [[Johor–Singapore Causeway]] is an important road which connects [[Singapore]] to [[Malaysia]]
File:SorellCauseway.JPG|The [[Sorell Causeway]] in [[Tasmania]], Australia
File:Heading north on Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.jpg|[[Lake Pontchartrain Causeway]] bridge in [[New Orleans]]
File:Causeway at Colwyn Bay Beach.jpg|Causeway across [[Colwyn Bay|Colwyn Bay Beach]], [[Wales]], United Kingdom
File:King Fahd causeway satellite.png|The [[King Fahd Causeway]] from satellite photo
File:BermudaCauseway.jpg|[[The Causeway, Bermuda|The Causeway]] in St. George's, [[Bermuda]]
File:DSC 0747 土手道.jpg|Causeway that connects [[Victor Harbor, South Australia|Victor Harbor]] with [[Granite Island (South Australia)|Granite Island]] in [[Australia]] (Completed in [[1867]])
Image:CansoCauseway.jpg|[[Canso Causeway]] from [[Cape Breton Island]]
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[Causey Arch]], [[County Durham]], [[England]]
* [[Causewayed enclosure]]
* [[Giant's Causeway]], [[County Antrim]], [[Northern Ireland]]
* [[Kūlgrinda]]
* [[Sacbe]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |ref={{harvid|Oxford English Dictionary|1971}} |title = Oxford English Dictionary |year=1971 |asin=B01JXP1GBY }}
* {{cite book |last1=Atkins |first1=Beryl T. |title = Collins Robert French Dictionary |edition=5th |year=1998 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=0-00-470526-2 }}
* {{cite book |title = Nouveau Petit Larousse Illustré |location=Paris |year=1934 |language=fr }}
* {{cite book |last=Grape |first=W. |title = The Bayeux Tapestry |publisher=Prestel |location=Munich |year=1994 |isbn=3-7913-1365-7}}
* {{cite book |last1=Evans |first1 = H. M. |last2=Thomas |first2 = W. O. |title = The New Welsh Dictionary (Y Geiriadur Newydd) |publisher = Llyfrau'r Dryw |location=Llandybie |year=1953 }}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline |lcfirst = yes }}

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{{Infrastructure}}
{{Road}}
{{Geotechnical engineering}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Causeways| ]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures by type]]
[[Category:Transport buildings and structures]]

Causeway - Revision history

imported>Regulov: /* History */ cramming too much into a sentence dilutes it