Author(s): A. Rodriguez; D. Brea; D. Farias; H. R. Bravo; E. Castello; G. Hillman; J. Weber; M. Pagot; P. Spalletti
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Hydraulic analyses; Bridge; Parana River
Abstract: This paper summarizes hydraulic studies underway as part of a feasibility study for a bridge over the Parana River in Argentina. The bridge will physically connect the provinces of Santa Fe and Corrientes, currently separated by a 200-km river reach. In addition to the hydraulic studies summarized here, the feasibility study includes analyses of the geology of the sites, land surveying, geophysical and hydrologic studies, studies of the navigation channel and fluvial transportation, transportation studies, and environmental impact. The main components of this study were a geomorphologic analysis of the middle reach of the river, and a quantitative hydraulic study. Qualitative and quantitative analyses provided a description of the system and a basis for analyzing the vulnerability of alternative locations. The quantitative hydraulic study included the construction, calibration, and operation of onedimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) depth averaged flow models. In order to tie the models to the most reliable data, the 1D models covered a 450-km long reach of the main channel (about 2 km wide) and the flood plain (about 30 km wide). In addition to playing a major role in the selection of the bridge location, results of the 1D models provided boundary conditions for 2D modeling. An effort to model a 70 km x 30 km 2D modeling domain is underway. This paper presents results of 1D modeling for large floods, both in the natural state and with the proposed bridge, and results of 2D modeling in the natural state. Modeling at this scale requires sound judgment to strike a balance between the desirable level of model detail and the cost of acquiring data for model construction and calibration.
Year: 2003