Author: wendy

What Is Bridge Scour? Why Should You Care?

The most common cause of bridge failures is from floods scouring bed material surrounding bridge foundations. What is scour? Simply put, scour is the engineering term for the erosion of soil surrounding a bridge foundation (piers and abutments). Bridge scour occurs when fast-moving water around a bridge removes sediment from… Read More »

How to Design a Better Parking Lot

Parking lots are not generally known as the most orderly environment in modern society. A poorly designed parking lot could easily be compared to the bumper cars at the county fair. But a well-designed, well-maintained parking lot helps people get in efficiently, find their way to a stall, walk safely to the door, and get… Read More »

Highways Designed with Snow and Cold in Mind

By Eric Sorensen, PE From temperature extremes to drainage, roadway designers factor in the snow and cold when designing for our northern and mountain states. Let’s look at the properties of various pavement types and the basics of how that pavement is placed and treated for optimal performance in climates plagued by cold and snow.… Read More »