[CFC__VRWC]

The I-10 bridge over Escambia Bay in Pensacola had an almost identical pattern of damage when Ivan hit Pensacola last summer. The sections of the deck get slapped from underneath by the waves and the surge, and they separate at the expansion joints and get knocked off the support piers. The piers themselves are solidly embedded in the bedrock under the water. The deck slabs are much easier to replace than the piers are.

FDOT got the Escambia bridge reopened in a matter of weeks after Ivan passed through. I would imagine this bridge could be reopened much more quickly than most people would think. It will certainly be open to traffic again before there's a city for it to go to.

[Alberta's Child]

I think you hit the nail on the head. The slabs separated from the piers underneath at those points where there was no "fixed" support -- just a "bearing" support for expansion joints.