Hurricane Harvey flood resulted in severe scouring of the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge across Lake Houston, prompting safety concerns. This project provided emergency repair designs for the bridge bents. Recommended repairs included additional support piers in the areas of scour, which reduced the bridge’s effective opening.
HT&J provided the hydrology & hydraulic (H&H) no-impact analysis of the proposed repairs. In addition, HT&J also provided bridge scour analysis and recommended counter measures to protect the bridge. These analyses were made utilizing a HEC-RAS 1D/2D model to evaluate water surface elevation (WSE) and velocity impacts. The project required close multi-agency coordination between City of Houston, Harris County Flood Control District, and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).