In-Stream Vegetation for Scour Control at High-Proximity Bridge Crossing Elements

Scour and erosion are leading causes of bridge failure in North America and present significant safety and maintenance challenges, particularly at crossings where piers, abutments, and channel banks are in close proximity. Existing scour countermeasures are often costly, difficult to implement under complex hydraulic conditions, and require ongoing maintenance. Although aquatic vegetation has been observed to alter approach flow patterns in ways that may reduce local scour, a rigorous scientific basis for its use as a scour-control strategy at bridge crossings is not currently available. This project employs detailed physical modeling to evaluate the effectiveness of in-stream vegetation for scour control at high-proximity bridge crossings. Experiments will be conducted in a high-gradient tilting flume with an erodible sediment bed, using particle image velocimetry and laser-based bathymetric scanning to measure velocity fields, turbulence characteristics, shear stresses, and resulting scour patterns. The research will quantify how vegetation patches influence local flow structure and sediment transport near piers, abutments, and banks. The results will form the foundation of a knowledge base supporting development of practical implementation guidelines.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $146,644.00
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348307

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Mid-America Transportation Center

  University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  2200 Vine Street, PO Box 830851
  Lincoln, NE  United States  68583-0851
• Project Managers:

  Bruner, Britain

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Iowa, Iowa City

  National Advanced Driving Simulator, 2401 Oakdale Blvd
  Iowa City, IA  United States  52242-5003
• Principal Investigators:

  Williams, Priscilla

• Start Date: 20260601
• Expected Completion Date: 20270531
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge abutments; Bridge piers; Erosion; Flow; Hydrodynamics; Scour; Sediments; Vegetation
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Environment; Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01989958
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Mid-America Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348307
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: May 23 2026 6:04PM