Protecting bridges and roads from flood damage is a key service offered by WSE. Our staff bring significant experience in bridge hydraulics, scour evaluation, and habitat-friendly erosion countermeasures.
Over the past 25 years, Jeff has become one of the Northwest’s most respected engineers in the hydraulic design and evaluation of road crossings and the protection of roads themselves. Jeff’s interest in bridges began in college when the Washington State Department of Transportation funded his Masters Degree research which examined bridge scour prediction methods in the Pacific Northwest. Since then he has completed over 400 bridge scour evaluations, over 50 bridge hydraulic investigations for new and replacement crossings, over 25 fish passage culvert designs, and numerous designs for scour and erosion countermeasures.
WSE is personally committed to advancing industry standards to develop reasonable, cost-effective designs for crossings and countermeasures that minimize or eliminate impacts to habitat. WSE focuses on providing clients with practical advice based upon sound science, engineering, and personal knowledge which allows clients to make educated and informed decisions.
Examples of our work in bridge and road protection
A 10-foot diameter metal plate culvert that carries Goodman Creek under the Mountain Loop Highway 9 miles south of Darrington, Washington failed.
The existing 428th Ave. SE bridge over the North Fork Snoqualmie River is at risk of damage by scour and erosion and the roads leading to the bridge are frequently overtopped by flood water.
128th Street in Pierce County will be widened from two to four lanes to accommodate a new arterial that will serve a large masterplan community near Orting, WA.
The existing culvert where 276h Ave SE crosses Carey Creek in King County, WA, is undersized and creates a barrier to fish passage and disrupts the passage of sediment and wood.
Watershed Science & Engineering (WSE) was retained by Kittitas County to prepare an alternatives analysis to identify and compare solutions to an active bank erosion problem along the Yakima River at Ringer Loop Road.