Bridge performance under extreme floods and regulatory gaps: evidence from the 2024 floods in Rio Grande do Sul
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58922/transportes.v34.e3234Keywords:
Bridges; Extreme floods; Technical standards; Structural resilience; Climate adaptation.Abstract
The extreme floods of 2024 in Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil, affected more than 1,300 road bridges, representing one of the largest episodes of transportation infrastructure damage in the country. This study analyzes 13 damaged bridges in central RS by comparing field evidence and hydrologic-hydraulic modeling with current design standards issued by ABNT, DNIT, and DAER-RS, as well as climate adaptation recommendations from the IPH-UFRGS Technical Note (2024). The results suggest that peak discharge magnitude alone does not fully explain the observed damage, indicating the need to consider additional hydraulic-structural mechanisms. Simplified approaches based on uniform flow and mean velocities proved insufficient to represent hydrodynamic loads. Field measurements indicated highly nonuniform velocities exceeding 6.0 m.s-1. Erosive processes occurred at 77% of the bridges, while complete submergence of the superstructure occurred in approximately 85% of the cases. Effects associated with debris accumulation, hydraulic obstruction, bank instability, and insufficient freeboard were also observed. Comparison with international guidelines reinforces the need for performance- and risk-based criteria, particularly under conditions associated with extreme events.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Yamila Soledad Chicherit, Daniel Gustavo Allasia Piscilli, Jose Vasconcelos Neto, André Lübeck, Rutinéia Tassi, Magnos Baroni, João Francisco Carlexo Horn, Laisa Cancian
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