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Culverts and Low Level Water Crossings

Culverts and low-level water crossings are used to allow roadways to cross waterways with openings less than 15m2. Culverts are drainage structures less than 6m in span that funnel water underground. Common culvert types include concrete pipes, reinforced concrete boxes, and corrugated steel pipes. Low-level crossings include fords at shallow, slow-moving streams and causeways with protective walls that can be inundated in floods. Vented causeways and submersible bridges are alternatives to bridges for low-traffic roads.

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259 views9 pages

Culverts and Low Level Water Crossings

Culverts and low-level water crossings are used to allow roadways to cross waterways with openings less than 15m2. Culverts are drainage structures less than 6m in span that funnel water underground. Common culvert types include concrete pipes, reinforced concrete boxes, and corrugated steel pipes. Low-level crossings include fords at shallow, slow-moving streams and causeways with protective walls that can be inundated in floods. Vented causeways and submersible bridges are alternatives to bridges for low-traffic roads.

Uploaded by

tewele brhane
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CHAPTER 8

CULVERTS AND LOW LEVEL


WATER CROSSINGS
CULVERTS
 Culverts are cross drainage structures used to drain
rain run off collected by side ditches from one side
of the highway to the other.
 Span<6m
 Where the waterway opening is less than about
15m2, and particularly where the road crosses the
waterway on a relatively high embankment, a culvert
will usually be cheaper than a bridge.

2
Culverts are usually constructed from:
 - Precast concrete jointed pipes

 - Single or multi-cell reinforced concrete boxes,


prefabricated or built in situ
 - corrugated steel pipes made of prefabricated
panels

3
TYPES OF CULVERTS
1- CONCRETE PIPE CULVERTS
 Cheap and often serves for several years
2- FLEXIBLE STEEL CULVERTS
 They are better suited to unstable conditions than rigid
concrete structures.
 They are also easier to transport and faster to construct

 Corrosion is a problem

3- REINFORCED CONCRETE BOX CULVERTS


 Twin or multiple cell box culverts are used where the
horizontal opening is more than about 4m.

4
LOW LEVEL WATER CROSSINGS
 In favourable conditions, low level water crossings
can provide economical and relatively simple
alternatives to conventional bridges. These are of
two basic types:
 - fords and bed-level causeways
 - vented causeways and submersible bridges

 Both types are appropriate for sites where traffic


volumes are low or where a reasonably short detour
provides access to an all-weather bridge.
 For most of the year the maximum depth of water
over the carriage way should be less than 150mm.
5
FORDS
 Fords are the simplest form of river crossing at
places where the stream is wide, shallow and slow,
the approaches gentle, and the surface firm.
 All types of ford may require scour protection on the
downstream side

6
BED LEVEL CAUSEWAYS
 Where the type of traffic or the distance to an
alternative crossing justifies the expense, a
pavement may be laid on the river bed. A paved ford
is also called a bed-level causeway, drift, paved dip
or Irish bridge.
 To protect the pavement from scour damage, curtain
walls or aprons are usually required on both the
upstream and the downstream side and these must
continue up the approaches to the height of the
design flood.

7
VENTED CAUSEWAYS
 Vented causeways are designed to pass an ordinary
flood with very little water overtopping the
carriageway, but may still be inundated and
unusable for a few days each year.
 These structures present a considerable obstacle to
the free flow of both normal flow and the design
flood, so they must be built massive enough to
withstand water pressure and debris impact.
 The vents are usually concrete or corrugated steel
pipes from 0.6 to 1.0m diameter, set in a block of
concrete or masonry.
8
SUBMERSIBLE BRIDGES
 Where the traffic is dense enough to justify a dry
crossing of a substantial ordinary flood and the
design flood is much greater, a submersible bridge
is an alternative to a vented causeway.
 Submersible bridges are able to pass a larger flow
than the vents of a causeway of the same height but
are more susceptible to damage by the design flood.
 Construction is usually of reinforced concrete with
continuous reinforcement between the sub-
structures and the deck.

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