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Update of Commercial Vessel Past Point Data for Designing Bridges Across Navigable Florida Waterway
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2023-02-01
[PDF-15.46 MB]
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Abstract:When designing a bridge that spans over a navigable waterway, the risk associated with potential vessel collisions must be evaluated to ensure that the structure possesses sufficient impact resistance. Typically, the probability-based risk assessment procedure specified by AASHTO is employed for this purpose. The procedure requires collection of data that characterize vessel traffic that is relevant to bridge design. In the late 1990s, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) funded a study that utilized commercial vessel data to develop a practical database of vessel traffic information for Florida past points. The data were synthesized into a form that corresponded to calendar year (CY) 2000. However, in the more than twenty (20) years that have since passed, significant changes in vessel traffic have occurred. Furthermore, innovations in maritime technology have produced new sources of vessel data that may be used to quantify characteristics such as operational vessel speeds near bridges. In this study, vessel data were obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center (WCSC), automatic identification system (AIS) records were obtained from Marine Cadastre, and interviews with maritime professionals from around Florida were conducted. Analysis of historical USACE WCSC vessel traffic data collected for the years 2010 to 2019 indicated that traffic levels increased at many locations around Florida, but decreased or completely disappeared at other locations. Such differences necessitated the development of both growth and decay projection models for estimating future vessel traffic. The historical data further revealed the presence of deep draft (>15 ft) barge traffic at multiple Florida past point locations. Importantly, the bow characteristics (and thus impact forces) of deep draft barges are more similar to those of ships than to shallow draft barges. Information provided by maritime professionals indicated that the majority of shallow draft (≤15 ft) barges in Florida waterways are used for construction purposes and that a bow rake angle of 45 degrees is common for such barges. Analysis of AIS data indicated that, on a statewide basis, average ship speed was approximately 7 knots, and average barge speed was approximately 6 knots. However, local vessel speeds at select locations can be significantly faster. Outcomes from this study included (1) an updated vessel past point database that characterizes modern vessel traffic in Florida and (2) updated models of future vessel traffic projection. Additional outcomes included (1) procedures for assessing bridge pier column vulnerability to direct impact by shallow draft barges and (2) illustrative examples of the calculation of the AASHTO protection factor for scenarios where adjacent protection structures may provide a partial level of shielding against vessel collisions.
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