Highway guardrail serves an important purpose in the safety of vehicular and pedestrian users alike. Although it may seem like a mundane part of the system, the design of highway guardrail is just as scientific and engineered to exacting standards as the rest of the highway. This article will summarize the design process for highway […]
Bridge Sized Culvert Replacement in Alberta
According to my search of Alberta Transportation’s Transportation Infrastructure Management System (TIMS), there are 11,861 bridge sized culvert structures across the province of Alberta. Of that, 3,796 are managed by Alberta Transportation. The rest are within Counties, M.D.’s and other municipalities. That’s alot of structures, and management of this asset is not a small task. […]
The 7 Types of Culverts
Culverts are highly efficient structures that move water and people underneath a road. However, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all culvert type that meets all design considerations. To that end, let’s explore the different types of culverts that can be considered for a site: Corrugated Steel Pipe (CSP) Structural Plate CSP Open bottom CSP Concrete Pipe Concrete […]
How to Design a Concrete Box Culvert
Concrete box culverts are one of those items that very few engineers have to tackle regularly, hence technical references and manufacturer’s trade guidelines come in handy. But the process is very simple, and the devil is in the details (why no, that couldn’t be!). The process of designing a concrete box culvert falls into five […]
Standard Corrugated Steel Pipe Sizes
According to ASTM A760, the standard sizes of corrugated steel pipe are: Nominal Inside Diameter in. mm 4 100 6 150 8 200 10 250 12 300 15 375 18 450 21 500 24 600 27 675 30 750 33 825 36 900 42 1050 48 1200 54 1350 60 1500 66 1650 72 1800 […]
Standard Sizes of Precast Concrete Box Culverts
According to ASTM C1433 and C1433M, the standard dimensions of precast concrete box culverts are as listed in the table below. You can stand them up or lay them down flat, and you can put as many as you want side by side. Dimensions Thickness ft x ft mm x mm inches mm 3 x […]
Standard Pipe Arch Sizes
Are there standard sizes of pipe arch, and if so, what are they? A pipe arch is a culvert with a flattened (but not completely flat) bottom. The culvert has three radii, a large one on the bottom, a small one in the bottom corners, and a normal one in the upper half. In my […]