North Washington Street Bridge

The location of the North Washington Street Bridge downstream of the New Charles River Dam has complex hydraulic patterns. Typical hydrologic and hydraulic modeling methods are unable to capture these patterns and adequately describe scour around the bridge. Two-dimensional modeling is needed to determine the complex flow patterns and understand the predicted scour at the existing and proposed bridge. The bridge piers and abutments were designed using the results of the hydraulic model and scour analysis. Our evaluation included how conditions could change due to predicted sea level rise in the area to make the proposed structure more resilient.