Turbulent flow over a water-worked gravel bed (WGB) was investigated using the double-averaging methodology (DAM). The flow measurements were carried out by the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. The double-averaged (DA) turbulent characteristics (DA Turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) components, form-induced TKE components, DA TKE fluxes, form-induced TKE fluxes, DA TKE budget) were analyzed for the WGB. To understand the effect of changed bed topography on the turbulent characteristics, the flow measurements were carried out over a screeded gravel bed (SGB), keeping the flow Froude number same as in case of WGB. Owing to water work, the bed topography of WGB was dissimilar to that of SGB, resulting in higher roughness size for the former than that for the latter. Comparative study of the DA turbulent characteristics of both the beds infers that especially in the near-bed flow zone, the flow parameters of the WGB are attaining higher values than those of the SGB. However, they are almost alike for both the beds in the flow outer layer. © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2018.