Irrigation Engineering Practice Test: Culverts and Small Road Bridges Construction — Flashcards

Culverts and Small Road Bridges Construction toopics include: High flood discharge computation and bridge foundation depth.

A culvert is a tunnel-like structure built under roadways or railways to allow water to flow under them. Culverts can also be used to redirect water from one area to another, such as in drainage systems. They can be made from a variety of materials including:
Cast-in-place or precast concrete
Galvanized steel
Aluminum
Plastic (typically high-density polyethylene) 

Culverts are typically found in a natural flow of water and are available in many shapes, including round, elliptical, and flat. They have a floor and can be circular, rectangular, elliptical, or even square in size. 

Culverts are different from bridges in the following ways:
Height: Bridges are constructed at a height more than 20 feet, while culverts are built at less than 20 feet high over the obstruction
Span: A bridge spans from 6 meters (minor bridges) to more than 120 meters
Length: The length of culverts is typically not more than 6 meters 
Some types of culverts include: Pipe culvert, Box culvert, Arch culvert. 

The type of culvert depends on the project's requirements, such as traffic volume, embankment height, and high flood level.
A small bridge is a bridge with a length of 6–30 meters and a span of at least 10 meters.