Hurricane Katrina caused significant damage to the transportation system in the Gulf Coast region. The overall cost to repair or replace the bridges damaged during the hurricane is estimated at over $1 billion. This paper describes the observed damage patterns to bridges, including damage attributed to storm surge, wind, impact from debris, scour, and water inundation, as well as examples of repair measures used to quickly restore functionality to the bridges and transportation system. Using the data from the 44 bridges that were damaged, relationships between storm surge elevation, damage level, and repair costs are developed. The analysis reveals that, in general, regions with higher storm surge had more damage, although there were several instances where this was not the case, primarily due to damage resulting from debris impact. It is also shown that a highly nonlinear relationship exists between the normalized repair cost and the damage state. The paper concludes with a brief discussion on the efficacy of using typical seismic design details for mitigating the effects of hurricane loads, and potential design considerations for bridge structures in vulnerable coastal regions.
Bridge Damage and Repair Costs from Hurricane Katrina
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TECHNICAL PAPERS
Bridge Damage and Repair Costs from Hurricane Katrina
Abstract
Authors
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice Univ., 6100 Main Street MS 318, Houston, TX 77005.
Associate Professor and Associate Chair, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0355.
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Clemson Univ., Clemson, SC 29634-0911.
Senior Bridge Engineer, Caltrans Office of Earthquake Engineering, MS9, Sacramento, CA 95608.
Post Doctoral Researcher, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Illinois, 205 North Mathews, Urbana, IL 61801.
Graduate Research Assistant, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Illinois, 205 North Mathews, Urbana, IL 61801.
Geotechnical Engineer, Geotechnical Engineering, Fugro West, Inc., 201 S. Broadway, Ste. 215, Orcutt, CA 93457.
Received: July 18, 2006
Accepted: September 18, 2006
Published online: January 01, 2008
© 2008 ASCE