Culvert Replacement

This project replaced an existing culvert to improve the safety of the traveling public and facilitate continued use of Lake Road on the same alignment/location. The project also included improvement of the clear zone behind guide railing and provided a pavement width of 28 feet to allow for safe bicycle travel, as the roadway is part of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail.

Erdman Anthony provided comprehensive design services, including preparation of the design report, geometry layout, hydraulic analysis, approach roadway design, and environmental permitting for the replacement of a deteriorated 11-foot 7-inch by 7-foot 5-inch corrugated-metal pipe-arch. The culvert was in generally poor condition and exhibited significant rusting of the invert and haunches. Gabion headwalls, which were positioned upstream and downstream, showed evidence of movement, as they were tipping streamward.

The county removed the existing culvert and installed a new 70-foot-long aluminum-coated corrugated-metal pipe-arch culvert that had a 13-foot 8-inch span and an 8-foot 9-inch rise. The new structure was embedded to allow native streambed material to fill the invert, accommodating fish migration in accordance with environmental regulations. Approximately 100 feet of roadway was reconstructed as part of the project.

The existing guide railing that was originally embedded in stone-filled gabion baskets was replaced with new standard box-beam guide railing driven into the reconstructed Lake Road subgrade. A 3-mile offsite detour accommodated traffic during the short construction duration. 

This project was part of the 2016 BridgeNY program and was designed for construction by the county. All features of the design meet NYSDOT’s design-code provisions.