Culverts, Kayaks & Chelmsford Ginger Ale

When I heard that Hoyle Tanner was relocating our Massachusetts office to Chelmsford, I really only knew a few things about the Town. One of them was that there is local brand of ginger ale named after the Town of Chelmsford (google it!). So, when we were approached by Town officials to perform structural observations of 14 town-owned culverts, I was excited to explore and continue learning about our office’s new home.

“Culvert” Inspections

Let me specify that I am going to use the word “culvert” to very broadly include any structure that carries traffic and crosses a “feature” (water, a road, etc.). Culverts reference structures ranging from pipes to “small bridges” with spans less than 20 feet. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) mandates that bridges with spans greater than 20 feet are inspected at least every other year to determine the condition of the bridge. This level of data collection allows the bridge owner to monitor the bridge’s condition and plan for future maintenance, repair, or replacement. However, FHWA does not require that culverts (or structures with spans of less than 20’) receive a structural inspection, and as such, many municipalities face a significant challenge to monitor the condition of their culverts and implement a long-term capital investment plan to maintain these vital assets.

Hoyle Tanner has a team of skilled transportation engineers who have obtained specialized training to inspect and assess bridges and culverts. Even more importantly, we have combined these inspection skills with our first-rate municipal bridge experience to provide municipal-wide bridge and culvert assessments. These assessments provide the owner with the current condition of the structure as well as prioritize bridges and culverts in need of maintenance, repair, or replacement based on weighing many factors from condition, to traffic volume, to funding constraints.

Exploring Chelmsford

For the Town of Chelmsford, Structural Engineer Stephanie Bishop and I spent summer 2023 exploring and inspecting a wide variety of culverts across town. These culverts ranged from 4-foot diameter plastic pipes up to large dry stacked stone masonry arches. All structures received a hands-on inspection in conformance with NBIS requirements and a list of deficiencies and considerations was developed. We accessed the culverts on foot, in the river with waders, and even with kayaks when the water was too deep.

Proactive Culvert Management Plan

After we developed our initial assessment of each culvert and determined the maintenance, repairs, or replacements needed, we met with the Town to collectively discuss our findings and craft a 10-year capital investment plan that took into consideration the Town’s budget, internal Department of Public Works capabilities, and the overall condition of the culvert inventory. As you can imagine, the different culverts’ sizes, ages, and materials means that there is never a “one size fits all” solution. With Hoyle Tanner’s expertise in bridges and culverts combined with collaboration with the Town, we were able to provide a high-quality unique assessment report that addressed the Town of Chelmsford’s individual needs. This assessment report will allow the town to implement a long-term, proactive culvert management plan that emphasizes cheaper routine maintenance to extend culvert service life as compared to a reactionary response in which culverts are forced to be replaced due to the level of unchecked deterioration.

As crazy as it may sound, sometimes the best way to learn about your new hometown is to spend some time exploring its culverts (and enjoying the local soft drink). If you have an inventory of bridges and culverts and are looking to set a good long-term plan, reach out to me today!