Survey of Short- and Medium-Span Bridge Damage Induced by Hurricane Katrina
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 13, Issue 4
Abstract
This paper reports on a survey effort of damaged bridges conducted by the writers in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina of August 2005. As with Hurricane Ivan in 2004, low-lying coastal bridges suffered severe damage due to hydrodynamic forces caused by storm surge. Consequently, transportation networks in the affected areas were disrupted. Since coastal bridges are considered lifelines for the communities they serve, their loss resulted in hindering rescue and recovery efforts. The purpose of this paper is to present related data as observed by the writers. Data collection and documentation of perishable data after natural disasters and before recovery and reconstruction efforts is of great importance. In the case of coastal bridges, they can help in improving future designs and rehabilitating existing ones. The majority of the surveyed bridges collapsed due to unseating. Hydrodynamic forces due to wave impact and water current on the superstructure proved to exceed the capacity of common connections between the superstructure and the substructure for short- and medium-span bridges.
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Acknowledgments
This material is based upon work supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. NSF0553187. Additional support from Louisiana State University is also acknowledged. The assistance from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (Design and Maintenance Sections) is greatly appreciated as they were instrumental to bringing this work to completion. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Satellite imagery in Figs. 3, 4, 6, and 9 are courtesy of Yahoo!Maps service and i-cubed, Inc. Their permission to publish this copyrighted material is greatly appreciated.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 13 • Issue 4 • July 2008
Pages: 377 - 387
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: Feb 13, 2007
Accepted: May 17, 2007
Published online: Jul 1, 2008
Published in print: Jul 2008
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