Tag: Scour

Battling Bridge Scour With Research, Inspections, And Training

Some of the most important foundational elements of a bridge are its least visible – the abutments, piers, piles, and footings submerged under the waterline. That’s where bridge inspectors look for scour – the erosion of soil surrounding a bridge foundation (piers and abutments). Bridge scour occurs when fast-moving water around a bridge removes sediment… Read More »

Award Winning Project Adds Resilience to Canyon Highway

By John Hunt, PE In September 2013 a flood devastated parts of Colorado, taking lives, destroying homes, and damaging critical infrastructure and transportation networks. The flooding was especially crippling to many mountain corridors north of Denver, where hundreds of miles of road were washed out, cutting off access to many small mountain towns. Among the… Read More »

Studying Scour: FDOT Unknown Foundation Program Becomes Nationwide Model

Structural and geotechnical engineers count on support from the soils beneath a foundation to help provide motorists safe passage from Point A to Point B. In many states, bridge foundation support is achieved by piles that are driven deep into the ground. The piles penetrate and are embedded in the soils immediately beneath the bridge… Read More »