WIND EFFECTS ON BRIDGES AND TRAFFIC ALONG COASTAL TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE LINES

As demonstrated with the Hurricane Katrina case in New Orleans, maintaining the highest transportation capacity and safety of coastal bridges is vital to support hurricane evacuations, emergency rescue response, reconstruction activities, and economical development of coastal cities. The present study focuses on the vehicle and bridge safety issues, considering the interaction of wind, bridge and vehicles. A three-dimensional suspension system has been developed for both static and aerodynamic tests of bridge section models. In addition to the experimental measurements, an analysis framework has been developed. This framework can be used to assess both the bridge performance and vehicle performance on both bridges and highways in windy environments. The Luling bridge section model was then tested and the bridge section with different traffic patterns was investigated. Wind loads on road vehicles were also investigated.