J. Clarke wrote:

>> Sounds reasonable. I'm a little confused by this whole thing, and have
>> been waiting for somebody to post a URL with the facts. What's this
>> "berm" thing? The California Driver Handbook does not have the word in
>> it. My dictionary does, but I have trouble relating those definitions
>> to a major freeway in Southern California.
>
> Colloquially it is the shoulder of the road, or on modern US
> controlled-access highways the "breakdown lane".

Having worked for the government department responsible for building and
maintaining highways I can deal you that it is called the shoulder.
There are paved shoulders and gravel shoulders. A berm is either a
section of ground that has been elevated, and can be a man made berm
either as a sound barrier or just a place to dump earth that has been
removed from another location or as a sound barrier. It is also the
elevated earth next to the shoulder which can be from natural
development or an accumulation of winter sand spreading or bad grading.
Road graders usually trim them back to to prevent ponding and to improve
drainage.