Construction Program Guide

Culvert Selection

The FHWA's policy for culvert selection requires the State DOTs to consider all available pipe products that are judged to be of satisfactory quality and equally acceptable on the basis of engineering and economic analyses.

Authority/Legal Basis

1. Laws

   • Section 5514 of the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act:, titled "Competition for Specification of Alternative Types of Culvert Pipes,'' requires the Secretary of Transportation to ensure that States provide for competition with respect to the specification of alternative types of culvert pipes. Section 5514 specifically states:

     "Notwithstanding any contrary interpretation of appendix A of subpart D of section 635.411 of volume 23, Code of Federal Regulations (as in existence on the date of enactment of this Act), not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall ensure that States provide for competition with respect to the specification of alternative types of culvert pipes through requirements that are commensurate with competition requirements for other construction materials, as determined by the Secretary."

2. Regulations

   • The FHWA implemented Section 5514 by revising 23 CFR 635.411 through the rule making process. This included an April 17, 2006 Notice of Proposed Rule Making and a November 15, 2006 Final Rule. Docket comments for the rule may be viewed at the US DOT Docket Management System web site. Docket comments for the rule may be viewed at the Regulations.gov web site by performing an advanced docket search for docket no. 23552.

3. Orders

   • None

4. Policy

   • The FHWA's July 9, 2007 memo supplements the November 2006 memorandum regarding implementation issues associated with the November 15, 2006 final rule for SAFETEA-LU Section 5514.
   • The FHWA's November 30, 2006 policy memo notifies FHWA Division Offices of the effective date for the final rule and encourages them to work with their State DOTs to implement the revised policy.
   • The FHWA's October 6, 2005 policy memo: "SAFETEA-LU Section 5514" provides a interpretation of Section 5514 shortly after the enactment of SAFETEA-LU.
   • The FHWA's May 11, 2005 policy memo: "Guidance on Pipe Selection" provides a pre-SAFETEA-LU interpretation of FHWA's policy.

Information:

1. General Information

   • Sample State Culvert Material Selection Policies

     • New York State DOT
       • Engineering Division Office of Design, Highway Design Manual, Chapter 8 - Drainage Design
       • NYSDOT Standard Specification, Section 600 (section 603)
     • Washington State DOT
       • WSDOT Hydraulic Manual, March 2007 - Chapter 8 - Pipe Classifications and Materials, Section 8-2 Pipe Materials,
       • WSDOT Standard Specifications, Division 7
     • Ohio DOT
       • Hydraulic Section home page
     • Florida DOT
       • Drainage Manual, Handbooks and Design Aids

   • AASHTO Standard Specifications (available to FHWA employees on Staffnet)

     • AASHTO HB-17, Division I, Section 12 Soil-Corrugated Metal Structure Interaction Systems
     • AASHTO HB-17, Division I, Section 16 Soil-Reinforced Concrete Structure Interaction Systems
     • AASHTO HB-17, Division I, Section 17 Soil-thermoplastic Pipe Interaction Systems
     • AASHTO HB-17, Division II, Section 26 Metal Culverts
     • AASHTO HB-17, Division II, Section 27 Concrete Culverts
     • AASHTO HB-17, Division II, Section 30 Thermoplastic Pipe
     • 1999 AASHTO Highway Drainage Guidelines, Volume IV [Culverts], Section 10.0 "Service Life", Metric Version
     • 1999 AASHTO Highway Drainage Guidelines, Volume XIV [Culvert Inspection, Material Selection, and Rehabilitation Guideline], Section 4.0 "Material Selection and Estimating Service Life", Metric Version
     • 2005 AASHTO Model Drainage Manual, Chapter 9 [Culverts], Section 9.3.4.4 "Material Selection" English Version

   • Plant Certification and Culvert Material Information

     • American Concrete Pipe Association
     • National Corrugated Steel Pipe Association
     • National Precast Concrete Association
     • National Transportation Product Evaluation Program Site for Thermoplastic Plastic Pipe for Highway Applications
     • Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association

   • Other

     • Arizona DOT, Final Report 621, "High Density Polyethylene Pipe Fill Height Table in Arizona", November 2006