Page 112 - Bridge and Highway Structure Rehabilitation and Repair

CHAPTER 3 BRIDGE FAILURE STUDIES AND SAFETY ENGINEERING 87

Table 3.3 Recent bridge failures in the U.S., including the nature of each collapse.
Location Year Description Nature of Collapse
Interstate 35W Minneapolis, MN 2007 Twelve people died. Bridge collapse over a river
Webbers Falls, OK over the 2002 A 500-foot section of the I-40 bridge A barge struck one pier of bridge,
Arkansas River (see Figure 3.10) collapsed, killing 14 people. causing partial collapse.
Walnut St. Bridge, Harrisburg, PA 1996 Some injuries Bridge collapse over a river
Tennessee River Bridge, Clifton, TN 1995 Some casualties Bridge collapse over a river
Schoharie Creek Thruway Bridge, 1987 A total collapse of the bridge killed Bridge collapse over a river
Amsterdam, NY 10 people
Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Tampa, FL 1980 A ship hit the bridge during a storm, Bridge collapse over a river
35 people were killed in the collapse.

• Scour is induced due to wave action.
• Scour is induced due to tidal currents.
• Effects of the interaction of simultaneous fluvial and tidal currents may be present.

• The effects of littoral drift can increase lateral migration and affect long term erosion.
Bridges located on tidal waterways are also subjected to contraction and local scour.
4. The physical factors affecting tidal scour include:
• Peak tidal velocities

• Variations between flood velocity and ebb velocity
• Range of tidal amplitude between neaps and spring tides
• Locations and shapes of scour under different fl ow conditions
• Cumulative effect of a series of tides.

Bridges on rivers (subjected to floods or accidents) seem to be affected the most. Historic

failures due to flood scour in the U.S. and abroad: Table 3.4 lists some of the recorded scour
failures in the U.S., Canada, Germany, Britain, Austria, Portugal, India, China, South Korea,
and Australia.
3.5.3 Diagnostic Case Studies by Author
Temporary underpinning and replacement design of New Jersy’s Route 46 bridge on
Peckman’s River. Due to Hurricane Floyd in 1997, overtopping of bridge occurred. Much of
Route 46 Peckman’s River area was fully flooded. A replacement bridge was designed by the

author using integral abutments with a single row of piles. Abutment settlement occurred and
heavy cracking of approaches took place (Figures 3.6 and 3.7). Temporary pile bents (with piles
over 90 feet long) were driven in front of abutments to transfer the load from the abutments.
In addition to replacing the damaged bridge, the approach slab had to be reconstructed.
Planning recommendations for Peckman’s Bridge:
1. The direction of the abutment skew is now parallel to the meandered direction of river fl ow
to minimize scour.
2. Based on hydraulic analysis, the opening size has been increased to minimize overtopping
fl ood.
3. Use of integral abutments and integral approaches make the bridge more resistant to longi-
tudinal forces.
4. Steel girders have been replaced by prestressed spread box beams to prevent corrosion.