Publication No.

FHWA-NHI-01-020
September 2001

U.S. Department
of Transportation

Federal Highway
Administration

Hydraulic Design Series Number 5

HYDRAULIC DESIGN OF
HIGHWAY CULVERTS
 Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No 2. Governmental Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.

FHWA-NHI-01-020
HDS No. 5
4. Title and Subtitle
5. Report Date

September 2001
Hydraulic Design of Highway Culverts, Second Edition 6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No.

Jerome M. Norman, Robert J. Houghtalen,

and William J. Johnston
9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)

Ayres Associates 11. Contract or Grant No.

Ft. Collins, CO
DTFH61-97-D-00025
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered

Office of Bridge Technology National Highway Institute

FHWA, Room 3203 4600 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 800 14. Sponsoring Agency Code
400 Seventh Street, SW Arlington, Virginia 22203
Washington, D.C. 20590
15. Supplementary Notes

Project Manager: Philip L. Thompson, FHWA

Editor of Second Edition: Johnny L. Morris, Ayres Associates
16. Abstract

Hydraulic Design series No. 5 combines culvert design information previously contained in Hydraulic
Engineering Circulars (HEC) No. 5, No. 10, and No. 13 with hydrologic, storage routing, and special culvert
design information. The result is a comprehensive culvert design publication. Hydrologic analysis methods
are described, and references cited. Culvert design methods are presented for both conventional culverts and
culverts with inlet improvements. Storage routing techniques are included which permit the designer to
account for ponding effects upstream of the culvert. Unique culvert applications, erosion and sediment
control, debris control, structural aspects, and long-span culverts are discussed and references cited. Inlet
control, outlet control, and critical depth design charts, many of which are newly developed, are included for a
variety of culverts sizes, shapes, and materials. New dimensionless culvert design charts are provided for the
design of culverts lacking conventional design nomographs and charts. The appendices of the publication
contain the equations and methodology used to construct the design charts, information of the hydraulic
resistance of culverts, and methods of optimizing culvert design using performance curves and inlet
depression. Calculation forms are provided for most of the design methodologies in the manual.

The second edition corrected minor errors and provided both SI and English (U.S. customary) units for all
equations and design charts.

17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement

Culverts, hydrology, storage routing, inlet control, This document is available to the public from the
outlet control, critical depth, tapered inlets, hydraulics National Technical Information Service,
Springfield, Virginia 22151
19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price

Unclassified Unclassified 376

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized

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