The Berat Bridge Hydraulic Assessment was undertaken as part of the development of a new road bridge crossing the Osum River near the city of Berat, Albania. The engineering study focused on evaluating the hydraulic performance of the proposed bridge and its interaction with the natural river flow, ensuring that the bridge opening and configuration could accommodate design flood events without creating significant adverse upstream hydraulic effects.
The assessment included hydraulic modelling using HEC-RAS 1D and 2D, incorporating river cross-sections, bridge geometry and hydrological design flood conditions. Simulations were performed for 100-year and 500-year return-period flood events, corresponding to design discharges of 1,090 m³/s and 1,315 m³/s, respectively. The analysis evaluated flood water levels, flow velocities, hydraulic depths, backwater effects and floodplain behaviour around the proposed structure.
The hydraulic modelling confirmed the suitability of the proposed 272 m bridge opening under the assessed design scenarios, with calculated water levels of approximately 64.40 m and 64.62 m above sea level for the 100-year and 500-year events. The study provided the hydraulic engineering basis for the bridge design assessment and supported the evaluation of flood conveyance and potential impacts on the surrounding river corridor.
