In Japan, snow control facilities began to be built after 1963, which was a disastrous year of heavy snow. Fifty years have since passed and it appears that snow control facilities have enormously increased in size. This fact requires an investigation of both the literature and data obtained from existing facilities; furthermore, a future guide must be proposed. In Japan, the first good study on how to construct snow control facilities was published in 1968. Since then, technology has evolved and a rule that snow control facilities should be built alongside highways, based on the notion that years in which the maximum snow depth is reached occur every 30 years, has become generally accepted. A close examination of existing structures indicates, however, that snow control facilities suddenly increased in size after the successive occurrence of heavy snow years in the early 1980s. Furthermore, the foundations of such facilities have also increased in size over time. An appropriate guide to establishing such facilities that can ensure safety and at the same time harmony with the mountainous landscape is warranted.
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