Geology topics

Ronda L. Burns

Publications and source records attributed to Ronda L. Burns.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

USGS1997

Level II scour analysis for Bridge 8, (MANCTH00060008) on Town Highway 6, crossing Bourn Brook, Manchester, Vermont

This report provides the results of a detailed Level II analysis of scour potential at structure MANCTH00060008 on Town Highway 6 crossing Bourn Brook, Manchester, Vermont (figures 1–8). A Level II study is a basic engineering analysis of the site, including a quantitative analysis of stream stability and scour (U.S. Department of Transportation, 1993). Results of a Level I scour investigation also are included in Appendix E of this report. A Level I investigation provides a qualitative geomorphic characterization of the study site. Information on the bridge, gleaned from Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTAOT) files, was compiled prior to conducting Level I and Level II analyses and is found in Appendix D. The site is in the Taconic section of the New England physiographic province in southwestern Vermont. The 15.5-mi 2 drainage area is in a predominantly rural and forested basin. The bridge site is located within a suburban setting in the Town of Manchester with houses and lawns on the overbanks. In the study area, Bourn Brook has an incised, straight channel with a slope of approximately 0.01 ft/ft, an average channel top width of 61 ft and an average bank height of 7 ft. The channel bed material ranges from sand to cobbles with a median grain size (D 50 ) of 87.2 mm (0.286 ft). The geomorphic assessment at the time of the Level I and Level II site visit on August 6, 1996, indicated that the reach was stable. The Town Highway 6 crossing of Bourn Brook is a 44-ft-long, two-lane bridge consisting of one 41-foot concrete T-beam span (Vermont Agency of Transportation, written communication, September 28, 1995). The opening length of the structure parallel to the bridge face is 40.0 ft. The bridge is supported by vertical, concrete abutments with wingwalls. The channel is skewed approximately zero degrees to the opening while the opening-skew-to-roadway is 15 degrees. A scour hole 3.5 ft deeper than the mean thalweg depth was observed along the upstream right wingwall and right abutment during the Level I assessment. The scour countermeasures at the site were stone walls in front of the upstream left wingwall and bank, along the upstream right bank extending from the end of the upstream right wingwall, and in front of the downstream right wingwall and bank. Additional details describing conditions at the site are included in the Level II Summary and Appendices D and E. Scour depths and recommended rock rip-rap sizes were computed using the general guidelines described in Hydraulic Engineering Circular 18 (Richardson and others, 1995) for the 100- and 500-year discharges. In addition, the incipient roadway-overtopping discharge was determined and analyzed as another potential worst-case scour scenario. Total scour at a highway crossing is comprised of three components: 1) long-term streambed degradation; 2) contraction scour (due to accelerated flow caused by a reduction in flow area at a bridge) and; 3) local scour (caused by accelerated flow around piers and abutments). Total scour is the sum of the three components. Equations are available to compute depths for contraction and local scour and a summary of the results of these computations follows. Contraction scour for all modelled flows was zero ft. The left abutment scour ranged from 3.6 to 9.2 ft. The worst-case left abutment scour occurred at the 500-year discharge. The right abutment scour ranged from 9.8 to 12.6 ft. The worst case right abutment scour occurred at the 500-year discharge. Additional information on scour depths and depths to armoring are included in the section titled “Scour Results”. Scoured-streambed elevations, based on the calculated scour depths, are presented in tables 1 and 2. A cross-section of the scour computed at the bridge is presented in figure 8. Scour depths were calculated assuming an infinite depth of erosive material and a homogeneous particle-size distribution. It is generally accepted that the Froehlich equation (abutment scour) gives “excessively conservative estimates of scour depths” (Richardson and others, 1995, p. 47). Usually, computed scour depths are evaluated in combination with other information including (but not limited to) historical performance during flood events, the geomorphic stability assessment, existing scour protection measures, and the results of the hydraulic analyses. Therefore, scour depths adopted by VTAOT may differ from the computed values documented herein.

Vermont↗

USGS1997

Level II scour analysis for Bridge 16, (NEWBTH00500016) on Town Highway 50, crossing Halls Brook, Newbury, Vermont

This report provides the results of a detailed Level II analysis of scour potential at structure NEWBTH00500016 on Town Highway 50 crossing Halls Brook, Newbury, Vermont (figures 1–8). A Level II study is a basic engineering analysis of the site, including a quantitative analysis of stream stability and scour (U.S. Department of Transportation, 1993). Results of a Level I scour investigation also are included in Appendix E of this report. A Level I investigation provides a qualitative geomorphic characterization of the study site. Information on the bridge, gleaned from Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTAOT) files, was compiled prior to conducting Level I and Level II analyses and is found in Appendix D. The site is in the New England Upland section of the New England physiographic province in east-central Vermont. The 23.4-mi 2 drainage area is in a predominantly rural and forested basin. In the vicinity of the study site, the surface cover is shrub and brushland. In the study area, Halls Brook has an incised, sinuous channel with a slope of approximately 0.02 ft/ft, an average channel top width of 53 ft and an average bank height of 7 ft. The channel bed material ranges from silt to gravel with a median grain size (D 50 ) of 40.4 mm (0.133 ft). The geomorphic assessment at the time of the Level I and Level II site visit on August 29, 1995, indicated that the reach was laterally unstable. The channel bed and banks are composed of fine material and show signs of erosion. There is also evidence of beaver activity in the area. The Town Highway 50 crossing of Halls Brook is a 44-ft-long, two-lane bridge consisting of one 38-foot prestressed concrete slab span (Vermont Agency of Transportation, written communication, March 27, 1995). The opening length of the structure parallel to the bridge face is 35.2 ft. The bridge is supported by vertical, stone masonry abutments. The channel is skewed approximately 40 degrees to the opening while the computed opening-skew-toroadway is 5 degrees. A channel scour hole 1.0 ft deeper than the mean thalweg depth was observed just upstream of the bridge behind the remains of a beaver dam during the Level I assessment. An additional channel scour hole 4.5 ft deeper than the mean thalweg depth was observed in the downstream reach. The scour countermeasures at the site included type-1 stone fill (less than 12 inches diameter) along the left abutment and type-2 stone fill (less than 36 inches diameter) along the right abutment and left bank upstream and downstream. Along the downstream right bank is type-3 stone fill (less than 48 inches diameter) and along the upstream right bank is type-4 stone fill (less than 60 inches diameter). Additional details describing conditions at the site are included in the Level II Summary and Appendices D and E. Scour depths and recommended rock rip-rap sizes were computed using the general guidelines described in Hydraulic Engineering Circular 18 (Richardson and others, 1995) for the 100- and 500-year discharges. In addition, the incipient roadway-overtopping discharge was analyzed since it has the potential of being the worst-case scour scenario. Total scour at a highway crossing is comprised of three components: 1) long-term streambed degradation; 2) contraction scour (due to accelerated flow caused by a reduction in flow area at a bridge) and; 3) local scour (caused by accelerated flow around piers and abutments). Total scour is the sum of the three components. Equations are available to compute depths for contraction and local scour and a summary of the results of these computations follows. Contraction scour for all modelled flows ranged from 2.6 to 4.6 ft. The worst-case contraction scour occurred at the incipient roadway-overtopping discharge. The left abutment scour ranged from 11.6 to 12.1 ft. The worst-case left abutment scour occurred at the incipient road-overtopping discharge. The right abutment scour ranged from 13.6 to 17.9 ft. The worst-case right abutment scour occurred at the 500-year discharge. Additional information on scour depths and depths to armoring are included in the section titled “Scour Results”. Scoured-streambed elevations, based on the calculated scour depths, are presented in Tables 1 and 2. A cross-section of the scour computed at the bridge is presented in Figure 8. Scour depths were calculated assuming an infinite depth of erosive material and a homogeneous particle-size distribution. It is generally accepted that the Froehlich equation (abutment scour) gives “excessively conservative estimates of scour depths” (Richardson and others, 1995, p. 46). Usually, computed scour depths are evaluated in combination with other information including (but not limited to) historical performance during flood events, the geomorphic stability assessment, existing scour protection measures, and the results of the hydraulic analyses. Therefore, scour depths adopted by VTAOT may differ from the computed values documented herein.

Vermont↗

USGS1997

Level II scour analysis for Bridge 37, (BRNETH00740037) on Town Highway 74, crossing South Peacham Brook, Barnet, Vermont

This report provides the results of a detailed Level II analysis of scour potential at structure BRNETH00740037 on Town Highway 74 crossing South Peacham Brook, Barnet, Vermont (figures 1–8). A Level II study is a basic engineering analysis of the site, including a quantitative analysis of stream stability and scour (U.S. Department of Transportation, 1993). Results of a Level I scour investigation also are included in Appendix E of this report. A Level I investigation provides a qualitative geomorphic characterization of the study site. Information on the bridge, gleaned from Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTAOT) files, was compiled prior to conducting Level I and Level II analyses and is found in Appendix D. The site is in the New England Upland section of the New England physiographic province in northeastern Vermont. The 12.1-mi 2 drainage area is in a predominantly rural and forested basin. In the vicinity of the study site, the surface cover is pasture upstream of the bridge and on the downstream left bank while the immediate banks have sparse shrubs and trees. Downstream of the bridge, the surface cover is shrub and brushland. In the study area, South Peacham Brook has an incised, sinuous channel with a slope of approximately 0.004 ft/ft, an average channel top width of 33 ft and an average bank height of 3 ft. The channel bed material ranges from sand to cobble with a median grain size (D 50 ) of 0.914 mm (0.003 ft). The geomorphic assessment at the time of the Level I and Level II site visit on August 24, 1995, indicated that the reach was laterally unstable. There are cutbanks upstream and downstream of the bridge. The Town Highway 74 crossing of South Peacham Brook is a 30-ft-long, two-lane bridge consisting of one 28-foot concrete slab span (Vermont Agency of Transportation, written communication, March 16, 1995). The opening length of the structure parallel to the bridge face is 25.7 ft. The bridge is supported by vertical, concrete abutments with wingwalls. The channel is skewed approximately 30 degrees to the opening while the computed openingskew-to-roadway is 5 degrees. A channel scour hole 2.0 ft deeper than the mean thalweg depth was observed at the upstream bridge face, along the upstream right wingwall protection, during the Level I assessment. The scour protection measures at the site included type-1 stone fill (less than 12 inches diameter) along the downstream left and right wingwalls, downstream banks, and at the downstream end of the left and right abutments. There is also type-2 stone fill (less than 36 inches diameter) along the upstream right bank and upstream right wingwall. Additional details describing conditions at the site are included in the Level II Summary and Appendices D and E. Scour depths and recommended rock rip-rap sizes were computed using the general guidelines described in Hydraulic Engineering Circular 18 (Richardson and others, 1995) for the 100- and 500-year discharges. In addition, the incipient roadway-overtopping discharge was determined and analyzed as another potential worst-case scour scenario. Total scour at a highway crossing is comprised of three components: 1) long-term streambed degradation; 2) contraction scour (due to accelerated flow caused by a reduction in flow area at a bridge) and; 3) local scour (caused by accelerated flow around piers and abutments). Total scour is the sum of the three components. Equations are available to compute depths for contraction and local scour and a summary of the results of these computations follows. Contraction scour for all modelled flows ranged from 15.8 to 22.5 ft. The worst-case contraction scour occurred at the 500-year discharge. Abutment scour ranged from 6.7 to 11.1 ft. The worst-case abutment scour also occurred at the 500-year discharge. Additional information on scour depths and depths to armoring are included in the section titled “Scour Results”. Scoured-streambed elevations, based on the calculated scour depths, are presented in Tables 1 and 2. A cross-section of the scour computed at the bridge is presented in Figure 8. Scour depths were calculated assuming an infinite depth of erosive material and a homogeneous particle-size distribution. Usually, computed scour depths are evaluated in combination with other information including (but not limited to) historical performance during flood events, the geomorphic stability assessment, existing scour protection measures, and the results of the hydraulic analyses. Therefore, scour depths adopted by VTAOT may differ from the computed values documented herein.

Vermont↗

USGS1997

Level II scour analysis for Bridge 30, (HUNTTH00220030), on Town Highway 22, crossing Brush Brook, Huntington, Vermont

This report provides the results of a detailed Level II analysis of scour potential at structure HUNTTH00220030 on Town Highway 22 crossing Brush Brook, Huntington, Vermont (figures 1–8). A Level II study is a basic engineering analysis of the site, including a quantitative analysis of stream stability and scour (U.S. Department of Transportation, 1993). Results of a Level I scour investigation also are included in Appendix E of this report. A Level I investigation provides a qualitative geomorphic characterization of the study site. Information on the bridge, gleaned from Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTAOT) files, was compiled prior to conducting Level I and Level II analyses and is found in Appendix D. The site is in the Green Mountain section of the New England physiographic province in central Vermont. The 4.98-mi 2 drainage area is in a predominantly rural and forested basin. In the vicinity of the study site, the surface cover is forest. In the study area, Brush Brook has an incised, straight channel with a slope of approximately 0.06 ft/ft, an average channel top width of 49 ft and an average bank height of 9 ft. The channel bed material ranges from sand to boulders with a median grain size (D 50 ) of 206 mm (0.675 ft). The geomorphic assessment at the time of the Level I and Level II site visit on June 25, 1996, indicated that the reach was stable. The Town Highway 22 crossing of Brush Brook is a 30-ft-long, one-lane bridge consisting of one 27-foot steel-beam span (Vermont Agency of Transportation, written communication, December 12, 1995). The opening length of the structure parallel to the bridge face is 25.6 ft. The bridge is supported by vertical, concrete abutments. The channel is skewed approximately zero degrees to the opening while the computed opening-skew-toroadway is 15 degrees. A scour hole 1 ft deeper than the mean thalweg was observed along the left abutment during the Level I assessment. The left abutment footing is exposed and undermined. The only scour countermeasure noted at the site was type-2 stone fill (less than 36 inches diameter) along the downstream left road approach embankment. Additional details describing conditions at the site are included in the Level II Summary and Appendices D and E. Scour depths and recommended rock rip-rap sizes were computed using the general guidelines described in Hydraulic Engineering Circular 18 (Richardson and others, 1995). Total scour at a highway crossing is comprised of three components: 1) long-term streambed degradation; 2) contraction scour (due to accelerated flow caused by a reduction in flow area at a bridge) and; 3) local scour (caused by accelerated flow around piers and abutments). Total scour is the sum of the three components. Equations are available to compute depths for contraction and local scour and a summary of the results of these computations follows. Contraction scour for all modelled flows was zero. Abutment scour ranged from 7.8 to 10.1 ft. The worst-case abutment scour occurred at the 500-year discharge. Additional information on scour depths and depths to armoring are included in the section titled “Scour Results”. Scoured-streambed elevations, based on the calculated scour depths, are presented in tables 1 and 2. A cross-section of the scour computed at the bridge is presented in figure 8. Scour depths were calculated assuming an infinite depth of erosive material and a homogeneous particle-size distribution. It is generally accepted that the Froehlich equation (abutment scour) gives “excessively conservative estimates of scour depths” (Richardson and others, 1995, p. 47). Usually, computed scour depths are evaluated in combination with other information including (but not limited to) historical performance during flood events, the geomorphic stability assessment, existing scour protection measures, and the results of the hydraulic analyses. Therefore, scour depths adopted by VTAOT may differ from the computed values documented herein.

Vermont↗

USGS1997

Level II scour analysis for Bridge 8 (ATHETH00090008) on Town Highway 9, crossing Bull Creek, Athens, Vermont

This report provides the results of a detailed Level II analysis of scour potential at structure ATHETH00090008 on Town Highway 9 crossing Bull Creek in Athens, Vermont (figures 1–8). A Level II study is a basic engineering analysis of the site, including a quantitative analysis of stream stability and scour (U.S. Department of Transportation, 1993). Results of a Level I scour investigation also are included in Appendix E of this report. A Level I investigation provides a qualitative geomorphic characterization of the study site. Information on the bridge, gleaned from Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTAOT) files, was compiled prior to conducting Level I and Level II analyses and is found in Appendix D. The site is in the New England Upland section of the New England physiographic province in southeastern Vermont. The 9.04-mi 2 drainage area is in a predominantly rural and forested basin. In the vicinity of the study site, the left overbank surface cover is shrub and brushland and the right overbank surface cover is pasture. In the study area, Bull Creek has an sinuous channel with a slope of approximately 0.01 ft/ ft, an average channel top width of 41 ft and an average bank height of 4 ft. The predominant channel bed materials are cobbles and gravel with a median grain size (D 50 ) of 72.1 mm (0.236 ft). The geomorphic assessment at the time of the Level I and Level II site visit on August 14, 1996, indicated that the reach was laterally unstable. There are several point bars and cut banks along the reach in the vicinity of this site. The Town Highway 9 crossing of Bull Creek is a 32-ft-long, one-lane bridge consisting of one 28-foot steel-beam span (Vermont Agency of Transportation, written communication, April 5, 1995). The bridge is supported by vertical, “laid-up” stone abutments with concrete caps and no wingwalls. The channel is skewed approximately 15 degrees to the opening. The VTAOT bridge records indicate the opening-skew-to-roadway is 9 degrees while that computed from surveyed points is 5 degrees. A scour hole 1.75 feet deeper than the mean thalweg depth was observed under the bridge during the Level I assessment. The scour hole has lowered the streambed along the entire length of the left abutment and the upstream end of the right abutment. The scour depth at each abutment wall is 0.75 feet deeper than the mean thalweg depth elsewhere in the reach. The only scour protection measure at the site was type-2 stone fill (less than 36 inches diameter) on the upstream banks and downstream left bank. Additional details describing conditions at the site are included in the Level II Summary and Appendices D and E. Scour depths and recommended rock rip-rap sizes were computed using the general guidelines described in Hydraulic Engineering Circular 18 (Richardson and others, 1995). Total scour at a highway crossing is comprised of three components: 1) long-term streambed degradation; 2) contraction scour (due to accelerated flow caused by a reduction in flow area at a bridge) and; 3) local scour (caused by accelerated flow around piers and abutments). Total scour is the sum of the three components. Equations are available to compute depths for contraction and local scour and a summary of the results of these computations follows. Contraction scour for all modelled flows ranged from 0.0 to 1.4 feet. The worst-case contraction scour occurred at the incipient-overtopping discharge of 1730 cubic feet per second, which was less than the 100-year discharge. Abutment scour ranged from 7.6 to 11.4 feet. The worst-case abutment scour occurred at the 500-year discharge. Additional information on scour depths and depths to armoring are included in the section titled “Scour Results”. Scoured-streambed elevations, based on the calculated scour depths, are presented in tables 1 and 2. A cross-section of the scour computed at the bridge is presented in figure 8. Scour depths were calculated assuming an infinite depth of erosive material and a homogeneous particle-size distribution. It is generally accepted that the Froehlich equation (abutment scour) gives “excessively conservative estimates of scour depths” (Richardson and others, 1995, p. 47). Usually, computed scour depths are evaluated in combination with other information including (but not limited to) historical performance during flood events, the geomorphic stability assessment, existing scour protection measures, and the results of the hydraulic analyses. Therefore, scour depths adopted by VTAOT may differ from the computed values documented herein.

Vermont↗