FHWA Resource Center
GEOTECH & HYDRAULICS TEAM
Hydraulic Design Series No. 6
RIVER ENGINEERING FOR
HIGHWAY ENCROACHMENTS
Highways in the River Environment
Publication No. FHWA-NHI-01-004
December 2001
ABSTRACT:
In the United States, the average annual damage related to hydraulic problems at highway facilities on the Federal-aid system is $40 million. Damages by streams can be reduced significantly by considering channel stability including: (1) lateral bank erosion; (2) degradation and aggradation of the streambed that continues over a period of years, and (3) natural short-term fluctuations of streambed elevation that are usually associated with the passage of floods.
The Federal Highway Administration document “Highways in the River Environment – Hydraulic and Environmental Design Considerations” was first published in 1975, and is now issued as River Engineering for Highway Encroachments: Highways in the River Environment, Hydraulic Design Series No. 6 (HDS-6). In HDS-6, hydraulic problems at stream crossings are described in detail, and the hydraulic principles of rigid and moveable boundary channels are discussed. This document has proven to be a singularly authoritative document for the design of highway associated hydraulic structures in moveable boundary waterways. Topics discussed in this document are: sediment transport, natural and human induced causes of waterway response, stream stabilization, hydraulic modeling and computer applications, countermeasures, and case histories of typical human and natural impacts on waterways.
DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY:
To download an electronic copy:
RELATED NHI TRAINING COURSE:
FHWA-NHI-135010, River Engineering for Highway Encroachments
RELATED SOFTWARE:
Surface-water Modeling System (SMS)
FHWA TECHNICAL CONTACT:
Dr. Larry Arneson
Sr. Hydraulics Engineer, FHWA Resource Center
Phone: (720) 963-3200
Email: larry.arneson@fhwa.dot.gov
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