INTRODUCTION (1989)
a. Designing a culvert has not yet reached the stage where two or more individuals will always arrive at the
same answer, or where actual service performance matches the designer’s anticipation. The reason is that
the engineer’s interpretation of field data and hydrology is often influenced by personal judgment, based on
his own experience in a given locality. However, field data, hydrology and hydraulic research are closing the
gap to move the art of designing a culvert a little closer to becoming a science.
b. Up to this point, the design procedure has consisted of collecting field data, compiling facts about the
roadway, and making a reasonable estimate of flood flow for a chosen frequency. The fourth step is to design
an economical culvert to handle the flow (including debris) with minimum damage to the right of way or
adjacent property.
c. Factors to consider include: type of structure; area and shape of waterway opening; approximate length and
slope of culvert barrel; and treatment of inlet and outlet ends.