Browsing by Subject "Types of culverts"

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    Minnesota Guide for Stream Connectivity and Aquatic Organism Passage through Culverts
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2019-01) Hernick, Matthew; Lenhart, Christian; Kozarek, Jessica; Nieber, John
    This guide assists Minnesota culvert designers in identifying, selecting, and implementing appropriate designs for maintaining aquatic organism passage (AOP) and stream connectivity at road-stream intersections. It was synthesized from existing literature and culvert design documents, a survey of Minnesota practitioners, research, and input from local, regional, and national experts. Culvert designs that create excessive velocity, physical barriers, or shallow depth can disrupt AOP and may be detrimental to the continuity of water flow, sediment, and debris transport vital to stream health. Conversely, the recommended culvert designs in this guide account for stream parameters such as slope and substrate that vary across Minnesota landscapes. A set of best practices captures critical design elements based on stream characteristics, which can be summarized as follows: 1.) Design the culvert to be similar to the stream channel (reference reach) by matching its slope, alignment, bankfull width, and flow depth to maximize AOP; 2.) Provide a continuous sediment bed with roughness similar to the channel, while maintaining continuity of sediment transport and debris passage, and; 3.) Design for public safety, longevity, and resilience. Culvert design that improves AOP and accounts for sediment transport is expected to reduce long-term maintenance costs and increase culvert life span.
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    A Research Plan and Report on Factors Affecting Culvert Pipe Service Life in Minnesota
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2012-09) Taylor, Craig A.; Marr, Jeff
    Culvert pipe material selection has traditionally been a relatively simple task involving metal or concrete pipe. In recent years, the addition of coated metal and plastic pipe has led the federal government to implement a rule requiring the consideration of alternative pipe materials. The current MnDOT Drainage Manual provides limited guidance on the selection of pipe material. The manual is lacking detailed information on the influence of environmental conditions on pipe durability in Minnesota. It is necessary to provide updated, accurate information on pipe material and durability for factors directly related to Minnesota. To reach this goal, the availability and suitability of existing data, as well as the practices associated with predicting pipe life spans must be evaluated. This report is the result of the initial feasibility study for a larger project(s) to update the MnDOT Drainage Manual. The goal for this report is to identify knowledge gaps, produce a research plan that will guide future research, and draw any pipe materials conclusions possible using the data available.