Culvert Question

vtsnowedin · May 16, 2015

Average bid price today for 36"RCP installed is $100 per linear foot and bids range from a low of $50/ft to a high of $140/ft. That would be New England pricing.

NoTrespassing · May 17, 2015

s219 said:
By the way, your state or county probably has a regulation as to what size pipe is needed there. It would have to accommodate the standard stream flow and a "historical" storm event (usually in the 10- or 100-year range, but everyone has different specs). Be sure to check and see what they require before making any decisions!

Sounds like a good way to spend more money and slow down the project to me. We put in a culvert on an unmarked creek years ago and never said a word about it to anyone. We also dug a 30 ft. deep pond in front of it. I'm not responsible for people that follow my advice though, keep that in mind! lol

s219 · May 17, 2015

NoTrespassing said:
Sounds like a good way to spend more money and slow down the project to me. We put in a culvert on an unmarked creek years ago and never said a word about it to anyone. We also dug a 30 ft. deep pond in front of it. I'm not responsible for people that follow my advice though, keep that in mind! lol

In general I agree with you -- assuming the person has done their homework and knows the proper specs. If that is not the case, it can be risky. I have seen a neighbor get fined $10K for clearing vegetation in wetlands and another who had to tear a driveway entrance out because his pipe was not installed right (wasn't bedded down and was too high). In both cases, it would have been avoidable -- either with a small permit fee ($25 for wetlands clearing) or just doing some homework and knowing the requirements for entrance culverts. Local, state, and fed govs can be pretty picky about any work that impacts wetlands, stream flow, or storm runoff and they don't have a sense of humor about that stuff.

RedNeckRacin · May 17, 2015

Install looks great, are you putting in header walls to stop the erosion around the inlet and outlet? A gift card would be a great IDEA!

kevin37b · May 17, 2015

Know you need 2 flared end sections to prevent scouring and a a ton of rip rap . Looks good , nice job !

justinramani · May 17, 2015

s219 said:
In general I agree with you -- assuming the person has done their homework and knows the proper specs. If that is not the case, it can be risky. I have seen a neighbor get fined $10K for clearing vegetation in wetlands and another who had to tear a driveway entrance out because his pipe was not installed right (wasn't bedded down and was too high). In both cases, it would have been avoidable -- either with a small permit fee ($25 for wetlands clearing) or just doing some homework and knowing the requirements for entrance culverts. Local, state, and fed govs can be pretty picky about any work that impacts wetlands, stream flow, or storm runoff and they don't have a sense of humor about that stuff.

We talked to the state as well as the Army Corps of Engineers before we did anything . The ACoE sent out a representative to do a site visit. I can honestly say that both the state and federal representatives were very helpful. It did take about a month to get it all approved, but it was worth the extra wait. We don't want to have any issues down the road.

justinramani · May 17, 2015

RedNeckRacin said:
Install looks great, are you putting in header walls to stop the erosion around the inlet and outlet? A gift card would be a great IDEA!

We are going to add rip rap to both sides once things settle a little.

ovrszd · May 17, 2015

justinramani said:
We are going to add rip rap to both sides once things settle a little.

Yep. Let it settle so you know you aren't going to have to add more fill material before you rip rap the ends. Looking good. Anxious to see the rest of the roadway develop.

DrRod · May 17, 2015

One of my farm neighbors built a ford across a substantial creek [maybe 40' wide and prone to flooding in the spring]. He used something he called "pack stone." The rocks were actually 5 or 6 inch cubes that sort of naturally snugged in together when driven over. They just spread the stone out on the approach and across the stream bed and after running over it a few weeks it looked like someone had installed paving stones. Anyone else ever seen this?

ovrszd · May 17, 2015

DrRod said:
One of my farm neighbors built a ford across a substantial creek [maybe 40' wide and prone to flooding in the spring]. He used something he called "pack stone." The rocks were actually 5 or 6 inch cubes that sort of naturally snugged in together when driven over. They just spread the stone out on the approach and across the stream bed and after running over it a few weeks it looked like someone had installed paving stones. Anyone else ever seen this?

Wish I had some. I've got a soggy crossing that could use it.