SECTION 11

CULVERTS
CITY OF WESTMINSTER
STORM DRAINAGE DESIGN AND TECHNICAL CRITERIA
SECTION 11 CULVERTS
11.1 INTRODUCTION
A culvert is defined as a conduit for the passage of surface drainage water under a highway,
railroad, canal, or other embankment (except detention pond outlets). Culverts may be constructed
with many shapes and materials.
11.2 CULVERT HYDRAULICS
The procedures and basic data to be used for the hydraulic evaluation of culverts in the CT! shall
be in accordance with the "A#$A% except as modified herein. The reader is also referred to the
many texts covering the sub&ect for additional information.
11.3 CULVERT DESIGN STANDARDS
11.3.1 Construction Material and Pipe Size
'ithin the CT! ()', culverts shall be constructed from concrete. )ther construction materials
are sub&ect to written approval by the City *ngineer.
The minimum pipe si+e for culverts within a public ()' shall be ,-.inch diameter for a round
pipe, a minimum cross.sectional area of /.0 ft
/
for arch shapes, and a minimum cross.sectional area
of 1.1 ft
/
for elliptical shapes. (oadside ditch culverts for driveways shall be a minimum of ,0.
inch diameter for round pipe or a minimum cross.sectional area of ,.2 ft
/
for other shapes.
(einforced concrete pipe ((C3) is available in round, elliptical, or arch cross.sections in si+es
ranging from ,/ inches to ,/4 inches in diameter ((eference 5).
(einforced Concrete 6ox Culverts ((C6C) can be constructed with generally any rectangular
cross.section with the limitations being the physical site constraints and the structural re7uirements.
3re.cast box culverts are also available in several standard dimensions.
Corrugated "etal 3ipes and 38C pipes are not permitted to be used as culvert materials within
CT! ()'.
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11.3.2 Inlet and Outlet Configuration
'ithin the CT!, all culverts are to be designed with headwalls and wing walls or flared.end
sections at the inlet and outlet. 9lared.end sections are only allowed on pipes with diameters of :/
inches (or e7uivalent) or less.
Additional protection in the form of rip.rap may also be re7uired at the inlet and outlet due to the
potential scouring velocities ((efer to ;ection ,/).
Hydraulic Data
'hen evaluating the capacity of a culvert, the following data shall be used<
a. (oughness Coefficients . Table 04,.
b. *ntrance %oss Coefficients . Table ,,4,.
c. Capacity Curves . There are many charts, tables, and curves in literature for the computation
of culvert hydraulic capacity. To assist in the review of the culvert design computations and
to obtain uniformity of analysis, the following data shall be used<
All Culverts< $rban ;torm =rainage Criteria "anual, =(C)>, =enver, Colorado ,525
((eference ,) . 8ol. /, ?nlets and Culverts? ;ection
Concrete 3ipe< Concrete 3ipe =esign "anual, AC3A, Arlington, 8irginia 9ebruary, ,5@4
((eference 5)
d. =esign 9orms A Table ,,4/ can be used in calculating culvert capacities. Computer
programs may be permitted.
e. =esign Capacity . ;ee ;ection 1.:.:
11.3.4 elocity Considerations
n the design of culverts, both the minimum and maximum velocities must be considered. A
minimum velocity during the minor storm event of three feet per second is re7uired to assure a self.
cleansing condition of the culvert.
The maximum velocity is dictated by the channel conditions at the outlet. f the outlet velocities are
less than @ feet per second for grass.lined channels, then a minimum amount of outlet protection is
re7uired due to the eddy currents generated by the flow transition. Bigher outlet velocities will
re7uire substantially more protection. A maximum outlet velocity of ,/ feet per second is
recommended with erosion protection. f the outlet velocity is greater than ,/ feet per second, an
energy dissipater will be re7uired. ;ection ,/ outlines the re7uirements for erosion protection at the
culvert outlet.
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11.3.! Head"ater Considerations
The maximum headwater depth for the ,44.year design flows shall be ,.- times the culvert
diameter or ,.- times the culvert rise dimension for shapes other than round. The headwater depth
may also be limited by the street overtopping policy outlined in ;ection 1.:.: and the elevation of
existing structures.
11.3.# Structural Design
As a minimum, all culverts shall be designed to withstand an B;./4 loading (unless designated
differently by the CT!) in accordance with the design procedures of AA;BT), ?;tandard
;pecifications for Bighway 6ridges,? and the pipe manufacturerCs recommendation.
11.3.$ %ras& 'ac(s
Trash racks may be re7uired at the entrance or exit of culverts and storm sewers as designated by
the CT!. Trash racks prevent debris from entering culverts and storm sewers as well as provide a
safety barrier. The centrali+ed collection point created by the trash rack allows for routine cleaning
and hauling away of debris, which further protects culverts from blockage during storm events.
Trash racks installed on flared.end sections shall conform to 'yoming =epartment of
Transportation ;tandard 3lan DTrash >uards for ConduitE =rawing #o. 2,5.4, which is provided as
9igure ,,4,.
The following criteria shall be used for the design of trash racks to be installed on concrete
headwalls. A typical trash rack detail is shown on 9igure ,,4/.
,. "aterials
All trash racks shall be constructed with a rectangular smooth steel tube with a minimum /.
inch x :.inch x F.inch cross.section. The tube steel shall be A12 and shall meet the A;T"
A-44 >rade 6 re7uirements.
The trash rack end bracing shall be constructed with a steel channel section /.inch x 0.inch
x F.inch and shall be A12 steel.
The headwall connection plate shall be a G.inch x 2.inch plate and shall be A12 steel. The
headwall connection bolts shall be -H0.inch (ed Bead wedge anchor bolts and shall be
driven to a minimum depth of :.inch.
All trash racks components shall have a corrosion protective finish.
All welds shall be F.inch welds.
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/. =esign
The trash racks shall be constructed without cross.braces (if possible) in order to minimi+e
debris clogging. The trash rack shall be designed to withstand the full hydraulic load of a
completely plugged trash rack based on the highest anticipated depth of ponding at the trash
rack.
The trash rack shall be removable for maintenance purposes.
1. 6ar ;pacing
The steel tube runner bars shall be spaced with a maximum clear opening of 2.inches. n
addition, the entire trash rack shall have a minimum clear opening area (normal to the rack)
at the design flow depth of four times the culvert opening area.
:. Trash (ack ;lope
The trash rack shall have a longitudinal slope of no steeper than 1 hori+ontal to , vertical
for maintenance purposes.
-. Bydraulics
Bydraulic losses through trash racks shall be accounted for by increasing the entrance andHor
the exit loss coefficients by 4.,. This ad&ustment shall apply to all trash racks constructed
normal to the approach flow direction.
11.3.) Street O*ertopping
The allowable depth of street overtopping for various street classifications is set forth in ;ection
1.:.:. The low point in the street (the point of overtopping) shall be at the culvert crossing. The
street overtopping rating curve will be calculated using<
(,,./)
'here< I J flow rate (cfs)
C J weir coefficient
% J %ength of weir segment (feet)
B J Average hydraulic head for length of weir segment (feet)
The weir coefficients for various conditions are given in Table ,,41.
11.4 CULVERT SIZING PROCEDURE
,,.:
The si+ing of a culvert is dependent upon the allowable depth of street overtopping for the street
classification and the headwater depth to culvert diameter ratio. Therefore, as a minimum design
standard for street crossings, the following procedure shall be used<
,. The maximum allowable street overtopping flow rate shall be determined from the overflow
rating curves developed from the street profile and the allowable depth of street overtopping
or the maximum headwater depth.
/. The culvert is then si+ed for the difference between the total ,44.year design flow and the
allowable street overtopping flow. 6oth the inlet and outlet control condition based on the
computed tailwater depth is checked.
1. f the resulting culvert is smaller than that re7uired to convey the full minor storm flow peak
without street overtopping per ;ection 1.:.:, the culvert shall be increased in si+e.
:. 8erify that no structures are within the resulting ,44.year floodplain.
-. 8erify the minimum and maximum velocity in the culvert for both the minor and ma&or flow
rates.
This procedure is considered a minimum design standard and must be modified where other factors
are considered more important. 9or instance, if this procedure still results in structures remaining in
the ,44.year floodplain, the design fre7uency for the culvert must be increased to lower the ,44.
year floodplain elevation. Also, if only a small increase in culvert si+e is re7uired to prevent street
overtopping, then the larger culvert si+e is recommended.
11.5 DESIGN EXAMPLE
The method recommended to evaluate existing and proposed culverts is based on the procedures
presented in B*C.- ((eference ,/). The methodology consists of evaluating the culvert headwater
re7uirements assuming both inlet control and outlet control. The larger headwater re7uirement for
either the inlet or outlet control is the governing flow condition.
*KA"3%*< C$%8*(T (AT#>
A sample calculation for the rating of an existing culvert is presented in Table ,,4:.
>iven<
Culvert si+e :0.inch (C3
%ength of culvert ,-4 feet
(oughness coefficient 4.4,-
nlet elevation --:4.4
)utlet elevation --1-.-
,,.-
;lope 4.414 ftHft
nlet treatment flared.end section
%ow point elevation of embankment ---,.5
Tailwater rating curve Table ,,4:, Column -
Trash rack #o
9rom the above data, the entrance loss coefficient, , is determined. The full flow I and the
corresponding velocity are calculated for comparison. The rating then proceeds in the following
se7uence<
;tep ,<
Beadwater values are selected and entered in Column 1. The headwater depth to pipe diameter ratio
is calculated and entered in Column /. f the culvert is not round, the rise of the pipe is used.
;tep /<
9or the ratios, the culvert capacity is determined from the rating curves (;ee ;ection ,,.1.1) and
entered into Column ,. This completes the inlet control condition rating.

;tep 1<
9or the outlet control condition, the flow rates (I) in Column , are used to determine the head
values (B) for Column : using the appropriate outlet rating curves (;ee ;ection ,,.1.1).
;tep :<
The tailwater depths (T
w
) are entered into Column - for the corresponding I values in Column ,
using the tailwater rating curve (i.e., downstream channel rating computations). f the tailwater
depth (T
w
) is less than the diameter of the culvert (=), Columns 2 and @ are calculated as described
in ;tep -. f T
w
is more than =, the tailwater values from Column - are entered into Column 0 for
the h
o
values and proceed to ;tep 2.
;tep -<
The critical depth (d
c
) for the corresponding I values in Column , are entered into Column 2. The
average of the critical depth and the culvert diameter is calculated and entered into Column @ as the
h
o
values.
;tep 2<
The headwater values (B
w
) for Column 5 are calculated according to the e7uation<
B
w
J B L h
o
. %;
o
,,.2
'here< B J Column :
h
o
J Column 0 for T
w
M= or the larger value between Column - and Column
@ for T
w
N=.
This completes the outlet control condition rating.
;tep @<
The final step is to compare the headwater re7uirements for the inlet and outlet control conditions
(Columns 1 and 5) and to record the higher of the two values in Column ,4. The type of control is
recorded in Column ,,. The headwater elevation, Column ,/, is calculated by adding the
controlling B
w
, Column ,4, to the upstream invert elevation. A culvert rating curve can then be
plotted from the values in Columns , and ,/.
This example assumes no street overtopping. f street overtopping occurs, than the weir e7uation
and resulting rating curve (see ;ection ,,.1.0) is used to determine the flow over the street at a
given upstream water elevation. The flow over the street plus the flow through the culvert is then
the total flow used for the culvert rating curve.
To si+e a future culvert crossing, Table ,,4/ can be used with some variations in the basic
procedures.
11.6 BRIDGES
The design of bridges within the CT! shall be in accordance with the "A#$A%. The design
capacity of the bridge shall be determined by the method presented in ;ection ,,.: of these
C(T*(A.
11.7 CHECKLIST
To aid the designer and reviewer, the following checklist has been prepared<
,. The minimum culvert si+e within the public ()' is ,-.inch diameter for a round pipe or
e7uivalent for other shapes.
/. The minimum culvert si+e for roadside ditches at driveways is ,0.inch diameter for a round
pipe or e7uivalent for other shapes.
1. Beadwalls, wingwalls, or flared end sections are re7uired for all culverts.
:. Check maximum outlet velocity and provide ade7uate erosion protection.
-. Check the minimum culvert velocity.
2. Check the maximum headwater depth for the design condition.
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@. Check the allowable depth of street overtopping for the street classification.
0. Check structural load, inlet, and trash rack re7uirements.
5. 8erify that no structures are within the resulting ,44.year floodplain.
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Table ,,4,
*ntrance %oss Coefficients for Culverts
Type of Entrance Entrance Coeffcent
!pe
Beadwall
>rooved edge 4./4
(ounded edge (4.,-= radius) 4.,-
(ounded edge (4./-= radius) 4.,4
;7uare edge (cut concrete and C"3) 4.:4
Beadwall and wingwall
>rooved edge 4./4
;7uare edge 4.1-
Beadwall with parallel wingwalls spaced ,./-= apart
>rooved edge 4.14
;7uare edge 4.:4
6eveled edge 4./-
3ro&ecting *ntrance
>rooved edge ((C3) 4./-
;7uare edge ((C3) 4.-4
;harp edge, thin wall (C"3) 4.54
;loping *ntrance
"itered to conform with slope 4.@4
9lared.end section 4.-4
Renforce" Concrete #o$
'ingwalls at to barrel
;7uare edged at crown 4.:4
Crown edge rounded to radius of ,H,/ barrel dimension 4./4
'ingwalls at to barrel
;7uare edge at crown 4.-4
'ingwalls parallel (extension of sides)
;7uare edge at crown 4.@4
#ote< The entrance loss coefficients are used to evaluate the culvert or storm sewer capacity
operating under outlet control.
(eference< O$rban ;torm =rainage Criteria "anualP =(C)>, ,520
,,.5
Table ,,4/
Culvert (ating 9orm
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Table ,,41
'eir 9low Coefficients
(eference< Qing R 6rater, Bandbook of Bydraulics, "c>raw Bill 6ook Company, ,521 A =esign of ;mall =ams,
6ureau of (eclamation, ,5@@
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Table ,,4:
Culvert (ating 9orm
=esign *xample
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9igure ,,4,a
Trash (ack =etail A 9lared *nd ;ection A Circular 3ipe
;ource< 'yoming =epartment of Transportation
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9igure ,,4,b
Trash (ack =etail A 9lared *nd ;ection A Arch 3ipe
;ource< 'yoming =epartment of Transportation
,,.,:
9igure ,,4,c
Trash (ack =etail A 9lared *nd ;ection A *lliptical 3ipe
;ource< 'yoming =epartment of Transportation
,,.,-
9igure ,,4/
Trash (ack =etail A Concrete Beadwall
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