Post-Harvey Houston-Galveston Roadway Bridge Reconnaissance

Hurricane Harvey made a landfall on August 25, 2017 near Port Aransas, Texas, as a category 4 hurricane. Harris County experienced 33.7 inch (856 mm) of rain during a four day period, resulting in significant flooding, prompting controlled releases of surrounding reservoirs, and affecting transportation infrastructure across the region. The Padgett Research Group conducted a reconnaissance field survey on multiple days from September 1, 2017 to September 22, 2017 in the Houston and Galveston area to identify potential damages to roadway bridges caused by flooding and storm surge generated by Hurricane Harvey. A set of critical sites were selected based on maximum inundation depth and wave height predictions, flood gauge data, local media, personal communications and situational awareness tools. Field inspections were conducted for the select locations and the following were recorded: site accessibility, inferred inundation level, damages to pavements, abutments, piers, other structural and non-structural components, and debris effects. This project details the inspection observations, along with photos taken from site visits, and provides HazMapper layers that synthesize the observations. The dataset provides insight on common impacts of hurricane and flood events on bridges, and offers a foundation for future risk and resilience studies for transportation infrastructure.