Large Culvert Inspection Procedures

Within the state of Indiana, there are roughly 9000 structures with unsupported span lengths that range from 4 ft to 20 ft that the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is responsible for maintaining. These structures are referred to as large culverts by INDOT. The agency recognized the need to improve culvert inspection procedures so that inspection data that is collected can provide essential information to asset engineers who make decisions regarding culvert management. The purpose of the project described in this thesis was to identify the best practices for inspection and management of these structures to develop guidelines to optimize the resources allocated for the maintenance and inspection of large culvert structures. The study found that standardizing the inspection process and evaluation criteria for inspection will positively impact the overall performance of the inventory of these structures. The findings of this research culminated in a proposed large culvert inspection manual that was provided to INDOT to serve as a detailed guide for large culvert inspection.