Bridge Scour Risk Management

Flooding and scour are recognized by the bridge community as the leading cause of bridge failures in the United States. About 83% of the structures listed in the National Bridge Inventory (NBI) cross waterways and are exposed to the threats of flooding and scour. Agencies responsible for bridge safety seek effective threat-mitigation strategies, including installation of scour countermeasures to monitor, control, inhibit, change, delay, or minimize stream instability and bridge-scour susceptibility. Additionally, many states are developing innovative approaches for assessment of structural vulnerability and bridge scour susceptibility; however, the practices differ from state to state. Thus, there is a need to better understand the current state-of-practice in different states and to identify and document successful approaches to reducing bridge-scour risks through the appropriate use of countermeasures. This scan’s goal was to gather current practices from different states, identify best practices, and propose an implementation plan to improve the consistency in applying bridge-scour risk management. This scan’s goal was achieved in three stages: a desk scan; a comprehensive questionnaire with amplifying questions for various related topics; and a workshop with representatives from various states. The findings of this scan provided a better understanding of the current state-of-practice for bridge scour risk management and identified best practices. Based on the findings, the scan team made recommendations and proposed an implementation plan to improve scour assessments and countermeasures. These findings, conclusions, and recommendation are summarized in this report.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Edition: Domestic Scan Team Report
  • Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; Tables;
  • Pagination: 123p

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01705880
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: NCHRP Project 20 68A, Scan 15-02
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: May 26 2019 4:06PM