Culvert Repair Best Practices,
Specifications and Special
Provisions
Best Practices Guidelines
Bruce Wagener, PE
Eric Leagjeld, PE
Goals
• Provide guidance to MnDOT engineers
in making better decisions on culvert
repairs
• Provide guidelines, Special Provisions
and Standard Details that will
standardize practices and increase
effectiveness and longevity of repairs
Focus
Trenchless rehabilitation or repair of
CMP and RCP culverts from 24 to 72
inches in diameter
Outline
• Overview of rehabilitation, repair, and
replacement
• Describe project tasks
• Walk through the Guidelines document
• Special Provisions and Standard
Details prepared
Definitions
• Trenchless: Repair or rehabilitation that does not
involve excavating the roadway
• Rehabilitation: The existing culvert pipe is
returned to its initial condition or better
• Repair: A maintenance activity that keeps the
existing culvert in a uniformly good safe
condition
• Replace: Removal or abandonment of the existing
culvert by open cut or trenchless methods
Project Tasks
• Task A—Survey MnDOT, cities, counties, and
contractors
• Task B—Survey of other state’s DOT’s
• Task C—Research Synthesis: Literature review of
information provided in SP&R Work Plan, Tasks A
and B, and other sources
• Task D—Best Practices Guidelines, Special
Provisions, and Standard Details
• Task E—Feasibility Study: Recommendations for
evaluating culvert rehabilitation and repair methods
• Best Practices
Guidelines
• Special Provisions
• Standard Details
Best Practices Guidelines
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Introduction
Culvert Repair Process
Preparation for Rehabilitation or Repair
Culvert Rehabilitation Methods
Culvert Repair Methods
Replacement using Open Cut
Replacement using Trenchless Methods
2. Culvert Repair Process
Identify the Problem
Determine the Cause(s) of Deterioration
Evaluate the Structural Condition
Evaluate the Hydraulic Condition
Evaluate Repair, Rehabilitation, and Replacement
Options
• Implement the Design
• Maintain the Repairs
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Rigid vs. Flexible Pipes
• Rigid Pipe: Substantially self-supporting and relies
on the surrounding soil for only a small fraction of
its overall strength. (RCP)
• Flexible Pipe: Designed using soil structure
interaction, where the majority of the pipe’s
strength is derived from the quality of the backfill
soils and compaction. (CMP, PVC, HDPE and
fiberglass)
Repair, Rehabilitation, and
Replacement Options
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Inspect
Repair
Rehabilitate
Replace
Repair and Rehabilitation
Method Guidance
• Recommendations from suppliers, fabricators, or
specialists
• HydInfra suggested repairs reports and flow charts
• FHWA Culvert Assessment and Decision-Making
Procedures Manual
• FHWA Hydraulics Toolbox
• Caltrans Supplement to FHWA Culvert Repair
Practices Manual
HydInfra Suggested Repair
Methods
3. Preparation for Repair or
Rehabilitation
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Environmental protection
Flow diversion
Infiltration control
Cleaning
Checking culvert clearance
Other preparatory work
Safety
4. Rehabilitation Methods
Paved invert
Cured-in-place pipe liner (CIPP)
Sliplining
Centrifugally cast concrete mortar
liner
• Spirally wound liners
• Close-fit liners
• Shotcrete
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Paved Invert
• Use in CMP or RCP
• Cast-in-place
concrete
• Welded wire fabric
(WWF) or rebar
reinforcing
• Anchored to
existing culvert
Cured in Place
Felt tube saturated with resin
Pull in place or inverted
Polyester or vinyl ester resins
Epoxy resins for special
conditions
• Generally not bonded to
culvert
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Sliplining
Centrifugally Cast Liner
• Cementitious or other
material applied by an
electric or air-powered
rotating head
• Usually applied to CMP
• Thickness controlled
by speed that the
machine is pulled
through the culvert
• Cementitious mortars
discussed in Guidelines
Spirally Wound Liners
Close Fit Liners
Shotcrete Liners
Placement of invert
Completed liner
5. Repair methods
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Spall repair
Joint repair methods
Filling voids outside the culvert
Joint sealing with internal packers
CMP seam repair
Invert plating
Sprayed coatings and linings
Slab jacking
Compaction grouting
Spall Repair
• Repair spalls of concrete due to movement,
freeze/thaw, structural distress, deicing materials,
etc
• Personnel entry required
• Similar to paved inverts
Joint Repair
• Fix infiltration and exfiltration at joints
to prevent ground loss and surface
settlement
• Infiltration can lead to culvert
deformation if soil support is lost
• Guidelines discuss personnel entry
joint repairs
• Remote repairs are also possible
Void Filling outside Culvert
• Voids can develop due
to piping, joint
infiltration, and invert
erosion
• Special Provisions
specify lightweight
cellular or rigid foam
hydrophobic urethane
grout
Other Culvert Repair Methods
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Joint sealing with internal packers
CMP seam repair
Invert plating
Sprayed coatings
Slab jacking
Compaction grouting
Resetting and retying end sections
Other Important Features and
Repairs
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Energy dissipators
Trash rack maintenance
Inlet and outlet protection
Aprons/cutoff walls
6. Replacement of Culvert
Using Open Cut Methods
• Drainage Manual
• Standard Specifications and Special
Provisions
• Standard Plates
• Other MnDOT manuals
7. Replacement of Culvert
Using Trenchless Methods
• Conventional tunneling
• Pipe jacking
– Microtunneling
– Auger boring
• Pipe ramming
• Pipe bursting
Rehabilitation Special Provisions
and Standard Details
Method
Paved invert
Special Provision Name
Paving Culvert Invert
Standard Detail Name
3X02 Paved Invert Repair - Corrugated Metal Pipe
3X03 Paved Invert Repair Reinforced Concrete Pipe
Cured-in-place
pipe (CIPP)
Cured-in-Place Pipe Lining
3X06 Cured-in-Place pipe Liner - Corrugated Metal Pipe
3X07 Cured-in-Place Pipe Liner - Reinforced Concrete
Pipe
Sliplining culvert Sliplining Culvert Pipe
pipe
Grout Culvert Liner
3X04 Sliplining Culvert - Corrugated Metal Pipe
3X04A Sliplining Culvert - Corrugated Metal Pipe
3X05 Sliplining Culvert - Reinforced Concrete Pipe
3X05A Sliplining Culvert - Reinforced Concrete Pipe
Centrifugally
cast liner
Centrifugally Cast Culvert
Lining
Repair Special Provisions and
Standard Details
Method
Special Provision Name
Standard Detail Name
Spall repair
Culvert Patching
3X03 Paved Invert Repair
Joint repair
Repair Culvert Joint
3X01 Pipe Joint Sealing - Reinforced
Concrete Pipe
Void filling outside Filling Voids Outside of
the culvert
Culverts
3X08 Culvert Void filling Detail - CSP and
RCP Culverts
Special Provisions and
Standard Details
Available by request from:
Lisa Sayler
MnDOT Bridge Office Hydraulics
3485 Hadley Ave
Oakdale, MN 55128
Phone: 651-366-4468
Email: lisa.sayler@state.mn.us
Questions?