Bridge Scour and Substructure Deterioration: Case Study

In 1988, the State of Mississippi set up its first statewide underwater bridge inspection program. During this inspection, serious damage was found on the substructure of two parallel bridges on I-10 near Biloxi. Significant scour had occurred, exposing the steel piling. These piles had severe corrosion with cross sections reduced by 50%. Because of the reduced cross section, the web and flanges of the piles had buckled locally. This damage was exacerbated by collisions associated with barge traffic on the waterway. This accumulation of problems resulted in a bridge on the verge of collapse. Two alternatives were used to repair the substructure. The more seriously damaged piles were encased in concrete, and the less seriously damaged ones were dewatered and a concrete seal was placed around the piles. After 10 years, the piers with pile encasements showed no additional scour effects. However, the piers with the large concrete seals had scoured by as much as 3 m (10 ft). Described in this paper is the analysis of damage, design of the repair, and a review of the performance of the two types of repair over a 10-year period.