Scour Program Management
Authors: Jon Zirkle (TDOT) , Lotwick Reese (Idaho Department of Transportation) , Dave Claman (IOWADOT)
This presentation will highlight the implementation of the patented BridgeWatch® technology in four very diverse geographic locations across the United States. The selected locations include Georgia, Tennessee, Iowa, and Idaho. Each having the full functionality of the BridgeWatch web-based application but each also having unique features ranging from coastal structure monitoring of hurricane storm surge to snow melt occurring in the mountainous regions in North West Idaho. The implementation of BridgeWatch has provided improved forecasting allowing field personnel to concentrate their efforts specifically on bridges at vulnerable sites, rather than entire counties and drainage basins. When alerts are received, monitoring can begin immediately giving personnel valuable time to evaluate specific bridges for scour and erosion activities. Since 2001, The U.S. Departments of Transportation have used the BridgeWatch web-based solution to enable engineers to collectively contribute to more timely and informed decision-making. This allows the engineers to be pro-active in protecting the traveling public from the potentially harmful effects of scour and erosion.
Keywords:
How to Cite: Zirkle, J. , Reese, L. & Claman, D. (2014) “Implementation of BridgeWatch™: A Program for Monitoring Scour Critical and Unknown Foundation Bridges; Using BridgeWatch to Monitor Road Overtopping”, National Hydraulic Engineering Conference 2014. 1(2014).