Hydrology and hydraulics (H&H), or drainage as a whole, is our passion and around which this company was founded. One of the primary purposes of H&H is to conduct a bridge opening analysis. At Coldwater Engineering, we are highly experienced in bridge opening design, and analyzing existing and proposed conditions to meet client hydraulic criteria and regulatory floodplain requirements. We routinely work in conjunction with client and consultant structural engineers to minimize the iterative process of selecting preferred replacement alternatives. Every bridge opening project involves performing a hydrologic analysis utilizing various methodologies, performing a hydraulic analysis with modeling software such as HEC-RAS, preparing hydraulic reports and design plans, floodplain permitting, advising structural engineers on scour critical piers and abutments, and conducting client correspondence throughout the design process.

In addition to bridge opening design, scour analysis and countermeasure design is also one of our core practices at Coldwater Engineering. Unfortunately, many stream and river crossings are not perpendicularly aligned, increasing the risk of significant scour due to pier and abutment skew and potential channel migration. In these scenarios, Coldwater Engineering’s extensive H&H experience has helped clients recognize bridge crossings with high potential for scour vulnerability. We routinely utilize best practice methods and design equations to predict “total worst scour” which are used to determine pile driving depths and footing elevations. In addition, we regularly work with clients to determine feasible scour mitigations that are practical and constructible, while avoiding intense permitting implications.

H&H design has seen many advancements in recent years and although many clients have an established H&H design workflow, our Coldwater Engineering staff works to progress their internal design and best practice techniques. As computers continue to become more powerful and larger data sets become publicly available, we continue to adapt our design processes to these technological advancements. LiDAR acquisition and advanced hydrologic and hydraulic modeling have become commonplace and many projects are beginning to require a more detailed analysis to satisfy regulatory and planned development requirements. At Coldwater Engineering, we are well suited to meet these emerging demands.

We normally operate under standard project design timelines, but our staff is also able to provide emergency and fast-track H&H design. We understand that rail traffic does not stop for emergency repairs and our key staff are experienced at prioritizing client requests and meeting tight project timelines. At Coldwater Engineering, we have responded to derailment events to conduct emergency surveys and expedited analysis for degraded culvert systems and embankment flood mitigation projects. Our staff is easy to coordinate with during emergency events. Our professionals are required to be reachable by cell phone and can respond to client requests as soon as possible. During emergencies, we can dispatch a qualified professional engineer within 24-hours who can begin the hydrologic and hydraulic analysis as the site survey is being performed.