This document discusses the design of piers and the effects of seismic activity on substructures. It provides examples of pier and column failures from past earthquakes. Specific cases discussed include the collapse of the Cypress Street Viaduct in Oakland, CA during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and extensive damage to highways in the 1995 Kobe, Japan earthquake, including failures of steel and concrete piers, bearing failures, and issues with pier connections.