Hydrodynamic Investigation of Coastal Bridge Collapse during Hurricane Katrina
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 3
Abstract
A number of U.S. coastal bridges have been destroyed by hurricanes, including three highway bridges in Mississippi and Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina (2005). This paper addresses three fundamental questions on the coastal bridge failures: (1) what were the hydrodynamic conditions near the failed bridge during the hurricane; (2) what was the cause of the bridge collapse; and (3) what was the magnitude of the hydrodynamic loading on the bridge under the extreme hurricane conditions. Guided by field observations of winds, waves, and water levels, two numerical models for storm surges and water waves are coupled to hindcast the hydrodynamic conditions. Fairly good agreement between the modeled and measured high watermarks and offshore wave heights is found, allowing an estimate of the surge and wave conditions near the bridges in nested domains with higher resolutions. The output of the coupled wave-surge models is utilized to determine the static buoyant force and wave forces on the bridge superstructure based on empirical equations derived from small-scale hydraulic tests for elevated decks used in the coastal and offshore industry. It is inferred that the bridge failure was caused by the wind waves accompanied by the storm surge, which raised the water level to an elevation where surface waves generated by strong winds over a relatively short fetch were able to strike the bridge superstructure. The storm waves produced both an uplift force and a horizontal force on the bridge decks. The magnitude of wave uplift force from individual waves exceeded the weight of the simple span bridge decks and the horizontal force overcame the resistance provided by the connections of the bridge decks to the pilings. The methodology for determining the hydrodynamic forcing on bridge decks can be used to produce a preliminary assessment of the vulnerability of existing coastal bridges in hurricane-prone areas.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The study was supported in part by the National Science Foundation (Grant No. NSF0652859) and the Federal Highway Administration (DTFH 61-03-C0015). Collaborations with Scott Douglass at the University of South Alabama are sincerely acknowledged. Candace Wright prepared the AutoCAD drawings. Permission to use the field observations collected by the federal agencies as well as bridge information provided by the Mississippi Department of Transportation is appreciated. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the Federal Highway Administration.
References
ASCE Technical Council on Lifeline Earthquake Engineering (ASCE TCLEE). (2006). “Performance of transportation systems during Hurricane Katrina.” Draft Rep., Reston, Va.
Blain, C. A., Westerink, J. J., and Luettich, R. A. (1994). “The influence of domain size on the response characteristics of a hurricane storm surge model.” J. Geophys. Res., [Oceans], 99(9), 18467–18479.
Booij, N., Ris, R. C., and Holthuijsen, L. H. (1999). “A third-generation wave model for coastal regions. Part 1: Model description and validation.” J. Geophys. Res., [Oceans], 104(4), 7649–7666.
Bossak, B. H. (2005). “Katrina’s wake.” EOS Trans. Am. Geophys. Union, 86(27), 333–334.
Bradner, C., Schumacher, T., Cox, D., and Higgins, C. (2008). “Large-scale laboratory experiments of wave forces on highway bridge superstructures.” Proc., 31st Conf. on Coastal Engineering, World Scientific, Singapore.
Chen, Q., Wang, L., Zhao, H., and Douglass, S. L. (2007). “Predictions of storm surges and wind waves on coastal roadways in hurricane-prone areas.” J. Coastal Res., 23(5), 1304–1317.
Chen, Q., Zhao, H., Hu, K., and Douglass, S. L. (2005). “Prediction of wind waves in a shallow estuary.” J. Waterway, Port, Coastal, Ocean Eng. 131(4), 137–148.
Cheung, K., et al. (2003). “Modeling of storm-induced coastal flooding for emergency management.” Ocean Eng., 30(11), 1353–1386.
Cobb, M., and Blain, C. A. (2002). “Simulating wave-tide induced circulation in Bay St. Louis MS with a coupled hydrodynamic-wave model.” Oceans MTS/IEEE Conf. Proc., Vol. 3, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 1494–1500.
Douglass, S. L., Chen, Q., Olsen, J. M., Edge, B. L., and Brown, D. (2006). “Wave forces on bridge decks.” Final Rep. for U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Bridge Technology, Washington, D.C.
Fenton, J. D. (1988). “The numerical solution of steady water wave problems.” Comput. Geosci., 14(3), 357–368.
Graumann, A., Houston, T., Lawrimore, J., Levinson, D., Lott, N., McCown, S., Stephens, S., and Wuerts, D. (2005). “Hurricane Katrina: A climatological perspective—Preliminary report.” Technical Rep. No. 2005-01, NOAA’s National Climate Data Center, Washington, D.C.
Hasselmann, K., et al. (1973). “Measurements of wind-wave growth and swell decay during the Joint North Sea Wave Project (JONSWAP).” Deutsche Hydrographische Zeitschrift, A8(12).
Holland, G. J. (1980). “An analytic model of the wind and pressure profiles in hurricanes.” Mon. Weather Rev., 108(8), 1212–1218.
Hsu, Y. L., Allard, R. A., and Mettlach, T. R. (2002). “Wave model validation for the Northern Gulf of Mexico Littoral Initiative (NGLI) project.” Technical Rep. No. A037604, Naval Research Laboratory, Stennis Space Center, Miss.
Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force (IPET). (2006). “Performance evaluation of the New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana Hurricane Protection System.” Draft Final Rep., Vol. IV, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.
Keen, T. R., Bentley, S. J., Vaughn, W. C., and Blain, C. A. (2004). “The generation and preservation of multiple hurricane beds in the Northern Gulf of Mexico.” Marine Geology, 210, 79–105.
Komen, G. J., Hasselmann, S., and Hasselmann, K. (1984). “On the existence of a fully developed wind-sea spectrum.” J. Phys. Oceanogr., 14(8), 1271–1285.
Longuet-Higgins, M. S. (1952). “On the statistical distribution of the heights of sea waves.” J. Mar. Res., 11(2), 245–266.
Luettich, R. A., Westerink, J. J., and Scheffner, N. W. (1992). “ADCIRC: An advanced three-dimensional circulation model for shelves, coasts and estuaries. Report 1: Theory and Methodology of ADCIRC-2DDI & ADCIRC-3DL.” Technical Rep. No. DRP-92-6, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.
McConnell, K., Allsop, W., and Cruickshank, I. (2004). Piers, jetties, and related structures exposed to waves: Guidelines for hydraulic loadings, Telford, London.
Nickas, W. N., Renna, R., Sheppard, N., and Mertz, D. R. (2005). Hurricane-based wave attacks, Florida Dept. of Transportation, Tallahassee, Fla.
Oceanweather. (2006). “Hindcast data on winds, waves and currents in northern Gulf of Mexico in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.” Final Rep. for the Minerals Management Service, Oceanweather Inc., Cos Cob, Conn.
Padgett, J., DesRoches, R., Nielson, B., Yashinsky, M., Kwon, O.-S., Burdette, N., and Tavera, E. (2008). “Bridge damage and repair costs from Hurricane Katrina.” J. Bridge Eng., 13(1), 6–14.
Powell, M. D., and Houston, S. H. (1996). “Hurricane Andrew’s landfall in South Florida. Part II: Surface wind fields and potential real-time applications.” Weather Forecast., 11(3), 329–349.
Powell, M. D., Houston, S. H., Amat, L. R., and Morisseau-Leroy, N. (1998). “The HRD real-time hurricane wind analysis system.” J. Wind. Eng. Ind. Aerodyn., 77–78, 53–64.
Powell, M. D., Houston, S. H., and Reinhold, T. A. (1996). “Hurricane Andrew’s landfall in South Florida. Part I: Standardizing measurements for documentation of surface wind fields.” Weather Forecast., 11(3), 304–328.
Ris, R. C., Holthuijsen, L. H., and Booij, N. (1999). “A third-generation wave model for coastal regions. Part 2: Model description and validation.” J. Geophys. Res., [Oceans], 104(C4), 7649–7666.
Robertson, I. N., Riggs, H. R., Yim, S. C.-S., and Young, Y. L. (2007). “Lessons from Hurricane Katrina storm surge on bridges and buildings.” J. Waterway, Port, Coastal, Ocean Eng., 133(5), 463–483.
Rogers, W. E., Kaihatu, J. M., Hsu, Y. H.-L., Jensen, R. E., Dykes, J. D., and Holland, K. T. (2007). “Forecasting and hindcasting with the SWAN model in the Southern California Bight.” Coastal Eng., 54(1), 1–90.
Schloemer, R. W. (1954). “Analysis and synthesis of hurricane wind patterns over Lake Okechobee, FL.” Hydrometeorological Rep. No. 31, U.S. Weather Bureau, Dept. of Commerce and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.
URS. (2006). “Final coastal and riverine high water marks collection for Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi.” Final Rep. for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, D.C.
Volkert & Associates. (2005). Katrina damage assessment, Mobile, Ala.
Westerink, J. J., Luettich, R. A., Baptista, A. M., Scheffner, N. W., and Farrarr, P. (1992). “Tide and storm surge modeling using finite element model.” J. Hydraul. Eng., 118(10), 1373–1390.
Westerink, J. J., Luettich, R. A., Blain, C. A., and Scheffner, N. W. (1994a). “ADCIRC: An advanced three-dimensional circulation model for shelves, coasts and estuaries. Report 2: Users’ manual for ADCIRC-2DDI.” Technical Rep. No. DRP-94, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.
Westerink, J. J., Luettich, R. A., and Muccino, J. C. (1994b). “Modeling tides in the western north Atlantic using unstructured graded grids.” Tellus, Ser. A, 46(2), 178–199.
Zubier, K., Panchang, V., and Demirbilek, Z. (2003). “Simulation of waves at Duck (North Carolina) using two numerical models.” Coast. Eng. J., 45(3), 439–469.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 3 • March 2009
Pages: 175 - 186
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Dec 16, 2007
Accepted: Aug 14, 2008
Published online: Mar 1, 2009
Published in print: Mar 2009
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.