Bridge Hydraulics

If the soil or rock that supports a bridge is scoured by a river, the bridge could become unsafe for travel.  So, how are bridges over water kept safe for the traveling public?  One way is through scour inspection and analysis.

By mandate of the Federal Highway Administration, all overwater bridge sites are inspected for stream stability and scour potential. Bridges determined to be scour susceptible are reviewed so that scour countermeasures can be recommended and designed.  Scour analysis may indicate that future flood events may cause undermining of the foundations and possible failure of the bridge structure.

Volkert, Inc.’s bridge design experts can design the repair, replacement or retrofit needed for any bridges identified as "scour critical" (their foundations becoming unstable).

Volkert’s scour teams have performed all phases of scour inspections stream stability investigation and analyses using such software packages as WSPRO, UNET, HEC-2 (hydraulic analyses), and STAAD and FLPier (structural stability analyses and conceptual designs for scour countermeasures).  These software packages and programs designed in-house assist our hydraulic engineers in modeling hydrological conditions, the effects of normal tides and storm surges based on field conditions and historical data, computing scour, and preparing reports with recommendations.

Volkert's Scour Inspection Services include:

• Structural inspection, including underwater inspection

• Scour inspection, analysis, and countermeasure design

• Bridge Hydraulic Study

• Coastal Analysis

• Stream Stability Assessments