The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is tasked with maintaining roadways crossing over large streams and rivers where sediment transport and channel alignment changes can affect the structural stability of bridges. Streambed scour is the leading cause of bridge failure in the United States. The costs associated with restoring damaged structures are substantial, but are less than five times the indirect costs associated with the disruption of traffic.
Structural stability during and immediately after peak streamflow can be assessed by measuring streambed scour; however, placing personnel or boats in the water during high-streamflow events using traditional methods can be difficult, hazardous, and time consuming.
To address this need, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Colorado Department of Transportation, installed instrumentation at two bridges in western Colorado to measure streambed elevations in real-time during snowmelt-runoff periods (May through June) in 2016 and 2017. The bridges include U.S. Highway 50 eastbound over the Gunnison River at milepost 70.0 and Colorado Highway 141 over the Gunnison River at milepost 153.7.
Cross-Section Geometry at Two Bridges over the Gunnison River in Western Colorado, 2016-17
Below are publications associated with this project.
Real-time streambed scour monitoring at two bridges over the Gunnison River in western Colorado, 2016–17
Application of a sediment-transport model to estimate bridge scour at selected sites in Colorado, 1991-93
Pilot study for collection of bridge-scour data
- Overview
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is tasked with maintaining roadways crossing over large streams and rivers where sediment transport and channel alignment changes can affect the structural stability of bridges. Streambed scour is the leading cause of bridge failure in the United States. The costs associated with restoring damaged structures are substantial, but are less than five times the indirect costs associated with the disruption of traffic.
Structural stability during and immediately after peak streamflow can be assessed by measuring streambed scour; however, placing personnel or boats in the water during high-streamflow events using traditional methods can be difficult, hazardous, and time consuming.
To address this need, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Colorado Department of Transportation, installed instrumentation at two bridges in western Colorado to measure streambed elevations in real-time during snowmelt-runoff periods (May through June) in 2016 and 2017. The bridges include U.S. Highway 50 eastbound over the Gunnison River at milepost 70.0 and Colorado Highway 141 over the Gunnison River at milepost 153.7.
- Data
Cross-Section Geometry at Two Bridges over the Gunnison River in Western Colorado, 2016-17
This dataset contains cross-section surveys of the Gunnison River at Colorado Department of Transportation bridges I-04-K and I-03-A, western Colorado, 2016-17. The surveys were performed using a combination of: Trimble R8 Real-Time Kinematic Global Navigation Satellite System (RTK-GNSS) receiver, a USGS bridge crane with sounding weights, and optical levels. During surveys performed in 2016, a ba - Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Real-time streambed scour monitoring at two bridges over the Gunnison River in western Colorado, 2016–17
The Colorado Department of Transportation maintains roadways crossing over large streams and rivers where sediment transport and channel alignment changes can affect the structural stability of bridges. Structural stability during and immediately after peak streamflow can be assessed by measuring streambed scour; however, placing personnel or boats in the water during high-streamflow events usingApplication of a sediment-transport model to estimate bridge scour at selected sites in Colorado, 1991-93
A bridge-scour study by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation, was begun in 1991 to evaluate bridges in the State for potential scour during floods. A part of that study was to apply a computer model for sediment-transport routing to simulate channel aggradation or degradation and pier scour during floods at three bridge sites in Colorado. StreamPilot study for collection of bridge-scour data
Scour around bridges is a serious problem on many rivers; bridge failure often is attributed to undermining of piers or abutments by scour. A pilot study was made at four bridge sites in Colorado to develop and test guidelines for collecting scour data onsite during high flows. These guidelines potentially could be used to conduct bridge-scour studies or to establish a nationwide bridge-scour data - Partners