Dana Shores & Fish Creek Bridges

Prior to beginning the North Terminal conceptual design at Tampa International Airport, RS&H completed a detailed engineering evaluation of the bridge hydraulics associated with the Dana Shores box culvert and the Fish Creek bridge that convey runoff from the airport and creek.

Originally designed in accordance with drainage concepts generated by the airport’s 2002 Stormwater Management Master Plan Update, the box culvert was not permitted to convey flow by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) due to a number of environmental concerns. RS&H’s evaluation addressed these concerns to facilitate the next phase of the permitting process and allow the box culvert to accept flow when the anticipated final design of the proposed North Terminal begins around 2023.

RS&H completed tidal and riverine HEC-RAS models because the box culvert discharges to Dana Shores, which then discharges to Old Tampa Bay. The team also used ICPR models of the contributing watersheds and HEC-RAS models of the bridges to route the 50, 100, and 500-year storm events through Dana Shores and Fish Creek and calculate scour at the two bridges. The HEC-RAS model demonstrated that the entire discharge from the upstream pond, identified in the Stormwater Master Plan, could be conveyed through the Dana Shores box culvert, eliminating the need to replace the existing box culvert or find other points of discharge. The model also demonstrated that the discharge through the culvert would not overtop the adjacent roadway or back up into the upstream pond.

RS&H presented the findings of the HEC-RAS and ICPR analyses in a Bridge Hydraulics Report and Bridge Hydraulics Recommendation Sheets. The team also recommended abutment protection, consisting of bank and shore rubble riprap, bedding stone, and filter fabric, be placed at the inlet and outlet of the Dana Shores box culvert to mitigate potential scour at the upstream and downstream ends of the culvert.

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