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Box Culvert Length Calculator

User Guide 1.0

BOX CULVERT LENGTH CALCULATOR

County/City Rice Job # SAP 066-599-047 Bridge No. 66J74 Date 4/6/2017 Initials KAJ

Roadway Inputs
Roadway Cross Section Properties
Inslope Fill Slope Fill Slope Culvert Invert El. Invert El. Skew
Lane (LW) Shoulder
(Rec. Area - Shl d) (Down Sta.) (Up Sta.) CL Sta. (Down Sta.) (Up Sta.) (°)
Width (Ft.) 12 4 11 0.89 -0.07 14+18.57 958.1 958.3 20
Slope (%) -2.0 -4.0 1 (V): 4 1 (V): 4

Vertical Curve Culvert Properties

Single Curve Profile Culvert Section
VC Elevation Size Class Lintel Fill Length (Ft.) Dist. Slab?
PVC Sta. 13+42.50 PVC 969.144 14x6 2 Middle 52' No
PVI Sta. 14+25.00 PVI 968.500
PVT Sta. 15+07.50 PVT 968.970 Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4
Length 165.0000 Fill Range <3 3- 6 6 - 11 11 - 16
G1 % -0.7800 Satisfy? - Yes - -
G2 % 0.5700 Max Ft. 3.75 3.75 3.75 3.67
Min Ft. 3.29 3.29 3.29 3.21
Input Cell ### NOTE:
Output Cell ### Lintel beam falls inside recovery area, barrel length may need
to be increased or guardrail may be required
Key Output ###
Warning Output ###
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1.) Introduction:
The box culvert length calculator is a tool developed for the fast and easy checking of culvert barrel
length and structural class of culvert. The calculator takes into account the roadway cross section, skew,
vertical profile, and culvert properties to arrive at the barrel length required and the approximate
maximum and minimum fill height over the culvert, and in turn, the structural class of culvert needed.
Also, if the minimum fill height falls below 2’, the calculator displays that a distribution slab is required.
The calculator does not include lengths attributed by aprons or other features. The calculator should be
used for basic barrel length estimation and checking purposes and is not intended to be used for
detailed design purposes.

2.) Input/Output Fields:

Input Cell ###
Output Cell ###
Key Output ###
Warning Output ###

Before anything is entered in, it is important to note the references located at the bottom of the
calculator. The calculator uses color coding to show which cells require user input and which provide
output.

Input Cell ###

Input cells are highlighted in a light orange color, implying the user
needs to enter in the information based on the culvert plan set.

Output Cell ###

Standard output cells are highlighted in a light green color.

Key Output ###

A few key output cells, containing key information, are highlighted in
yellow. These cells include the final calculated barrel length, confirmation that culvert class fill heights
are satisfied, and the cell indicating that a distribution slab is required.

Warning Output ###

A few output cells may be highlighted in red. This may occur in
certain cells as a warning that input is out of the accepted value range. In some cases, a note will appear
in red providing information as to the concern.

For the calculator to work properly, the user needs to accurately enter in all input fields with data, in the
proper units, as found in the final culvert plan set.
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3.) Project Information:

BOX CULVERT LENGTH CALCULATOR

County/City Rice Job # SAP 066-599-047 Bridge No. 66J74 Date 4/6/2017 Initials KAJ

Underneath the title block is an area for the user to input project related information. First enter the
county or city the project is set in, then select from the pull down menu whether it is an SP or an SAP
job. Next enter the job number, bridge number, date and initials of the Box Culvert Length Calculator
operator.

*Note: As discussed above, the input fields are highlighted in light orange.

4.) Roadway Inputs

Roadway Inputs
Roadway Cross Section Properties
Inslope Fill Slope Fill Slope Culvert Invert El. Invert El.
Lane (LW) Shoulder Skew (°)
(Rec. Area - Shl d) (Down Sta.) (Up Sta.) CL Sta. (Down Sta.) (Up Sta.)
Width Ft. 12 4 11 0.89 -0.07 14+18.57 958.1 958.3 20
Slope % -2.0 -4.0 1 (V): 4 1 (V): 4

The roadway input section is where the user will input information regarding the roadway including the
roadway cross section and additional properties such as the culvert/roadway intersection station, invert
elevations and skew. The purpose of this section is to illustrate the cross section of the roadway and
culvert.

5.) Roadway Cross Section

Roadway Cross Section
Inslope Fill Slope Fill Slope
Lane (LW) Shoulder
(Rec. Area - Shl d) (Down Sta.) (Up Sta.)
Width Ft. 12 4 11 0.89 -0.07
Slope % -2.0 -4.0 1 (V): 4 1 (V): 4

The Roadway Cross Section input box is where the user will enter in the cross sectional information of
the roadway. This includes the width and slope for lanes, shoulders, and ditch grading. The width is
always entered in feet. Note that no input is required for the Fill Slope width, as this is a calculated
value. Also note that if either up or down station Fill Slope is calculated to be a negative value, it will be
highlighted in red and the following red warning note will appear at the lower right of the spreadsheet.

Lintel beam falls inside recovery area, barrel length may need
to be increased or guardrail may be required
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Theoretically, a negative fill slope value would indicate that the lintel beam falls inside the recovery
area, which should not happen without some form of barrier or guardrail protection. Since the
calculator only serves as a checking tool, this warning note is shown as a flag to the user that further
engineering may be needed.

The slopes of the lane and shoulder should be entered in as a percentage value and be representative
of its direction. If the lane slope has a typical -2.0% cross slope, then it should be entered in as -2.0 in
the lane slope box. Note that this calculator is limited to normal crowns and applies the slope entered
symmetrically about the centerline of roadway.

The slopes for the inslope and fill slope follow the format typical for ditch grading “1(V):X(H)”. So if the
plans call for a recovery slope of 1:4, the number “4” should be entered in the cell next to the “1 (V):” of
the inslope slope cell.

The diagram above shows how the cross section elements should be measured. Overall each individual
element should be measured from edge to edge. So edge to edge of lane, edge to edge of shoulder, and
edge to edge of inslope. It is important to note the inslope is measured from outside edge of shoulder
to edge of recovery area. This goes in contrast to typical definitions of clear zone which includes
shoulder width. So if the plan dimension includes the shoulder or lane width, these widths should be
subtracted from the total dimension to come up with an inslope dimension. This diagram is also
provided on “Help” Sheet in the calculator spreadsheet.

6.) Properties
Properties
Culvert Invert El. Invert El.
Skew (°)
CL Sta. (Down Sta.) (Up Sta.)
14+18.57 958.1 958.3 20
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The Properties table in the Roadway Inputs section is where the user will enter additional information
pertinent to creating a complete description of the cross sectional roadway. Information required for
this section includes the intersection station of the culvert and roadway centerlines, invert elevations
and skew angle (if any). Note, that the maximum skew is 45 degrees, as limited on the Precast Concrete
Box Culvert standard detail/design sheets. A red warning note will appear if a skew greater than 45
degrees is entered.

The Culvert CL Sta. is defined as the intersection station between the centerline of culvert and centerline
of roadway. The cell automatically formats the input into stationing format, so the value should be
entered in as a whole number. For example, if the intersection station is 1+00.25 on the plan set, the
user should enter in “100.25” and it will automatically be adjusted to 1+00.25.

One distinction the user needs to be mindful of when entering in the invert elevations is in regards to
which invert is up station and which is down station. The reason to distinguish the two relates to the
vertical curve information discussed later in this User Guide File. Based on the vertical profile of the
roadway, the two ends of the culvert may have significant differences in centerline fill and are
independent of which end is the inlet or outlet. So if the outlet is at station 1+00 and the inlet is at
station 2+00, the outlet invert will be entered in the down station cell and the inlet invert will be
entered in the up station cell. If the culvert has no skew (perpendicular to the roadway), either inverts
can be put in either cell.

The sketch above is an illustration of each input element found in the Properties section. The skew is
measured from perpendicular to roadway as shown.
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7.) Vertical Curve

Vertical Curve

Single Curve Profile

VC Elevation

PVC Sta. 13+42.5 PVC 969.144

PVI Sta. 14+25. PVI 968.500
PVT Sta. 15+07.5 PVT 968.970

Length 165.0000

G1 % -0.7800

G2 % 0.5700

The Vertical Curve section is where the user will enter in the profile information of the roadway. The
calculator allows for a single curve to be entered in and elevations are calculated based on PVI
station/elevation, length, and incoming/outgoing grades. The calculator does not allow for more than a
single vertical curve as it is very uncommon to have any more than one for a given culvert and will only
increase the complexity of the program.

Similar to entering in the Culvert CL Sta., the stations in this section should be entered in as their whole
values. If the PVI station is at 10+00.55, the user should enter in 1000.55 and it will automatically format
into stationing. The grade inputs work in the same fashion as the cross sectional inputs, entered in as its
percentage value and should indicate sign based on upgrade or downgrade.

The vertical curve information follows the diagram above. By entering in the PVI, length, and grade
information, a complete profile of the curve is created. If the profile follows a straight grade, the profile
information still needs to be filled out with the user entering in a known point with elevation for the PVI
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and entering in the same profile grade for G1 and G2. For example, if the profile running through the
culvert is straight, the user should enter in any point with known elevation as the PVI station. If the
straight grade is 1.0%, then 1.0 should be entered in for both G1 and G2. Length can be entered in as
zero under this condition.

8.) Culvert Properties

Culvert Properties

Culvert Section

Size Class Lintel Fill Length (Ft.) Dist. Slab?

14x6 2 Middle 52' No

Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4

Fill Range <3 3- 6 6 - 11 11 - 16
Satisfy? - Yes - -
Max Ft. 3.75 3.75 3.75 3.67
Min Ft. 3.29 3.29 3.29 3.21

The Culvert Properties section is where the user will input the size and class of culvert and how the ditch
will match into the culvert relative to the lintel beam of the apron. All input fields have a pull down list
of options to choose from. The user should not enter in any other value outside of the list otherwise
the program will not work. The size and class of the culvert specifies information such as rise, span, wall
thicknesses and fill ranges. The culvert sizes include any sizes found in the standard details between the
ranges of 6x4 to 16x12. Culvert structural classes range from 1 to 4 and are based on fill ranges from top
of culvert to top of grade. The amount of reinforcement used in the box culvert varies based on the fill
ranges defined by each class. Note that for Class 1, the amount of reinforcement is greater than in Class
2 because the smaller amount of fill allows a greater concentration of the wheel loads to be transferred
into the walls of the culvert. The reinforcement needed for Class 3 is greater than Class 1 and 2 and
increases again in Class 4 due to the increasing weight of the fill load.

The lintel fill represents how the fill slope of the cross section will match into the culvert with the
options of matching into the top, middle or bottom of the lintel beam. More detail into the lintel beam
is discussed below.
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The three images above illustrate each of the three lintel beam fill conditions. Most culvert plans show
the fill slope matching somewhere relative to the lintel beam of the apron, whether it’s at the bottom,
middle or top. Deciding how the user typically matches the slope into the culvert lintel can have a
significant impact on the overall length of the culvert.

Also based on the standard details, the lintel beam is located 6” into the apron, which is not associated
with the barrel length. Because the program assumes the user is matching into the lintel beam at some
point, 6” is subtracted from both sides of the culvert (for culverts with no skew) to maintain an accurate
result for barrel length only. For skewed culverts, the length subtracted will be greater dependent upon
the skew.
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9.) Culvert Section

Culvert Section

Size Class Lintel Fill Length (Ft.) Dist. Slab?

14x6 2 Middle 52' No

Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4

Fill Range <3 3- 6 6 - 11 11 - 16
Satisfy? - Yes - -
Max Ft. 3.75 3.75 3.75 3.67
Min Ft. 3.29 3.29 3.29 3.21

This section also displays all the final results from the program. Based on all the inputs previously
entered in, the total barrel length is shown in the Culvert Properties section, highlighted in yellow. The
calculator also highlights if the fill conditions are satisfied based on the culvert size and class. The
program does not dictate or suggest which class of pipe to use for design purposes, but only serves to
show which class the culvert falls under based on the calculated fill and range values. Lastly the program
was designed to indicate if a distribution slab would be required for the culvert if the fill falls below 2’
from top of culvert to profile grade.

10.) Culvert Example

For an example, we will check the 14’ x 6’ culvert of Br 66J74 (see details below).
• Rice County
• Double Culvert
• 14x6 and 14x7
• Use 14x6 for example
• 20 ° Skew
• Single Vertical Curve
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• First enter in cross section information, found in typical section

Roadway Cross Section

Inslope Fill Slope Fill Slope
Lane (LW) Shoulder
(Rec. Area - Shl d) (Down Sta.) (Up Sta.)
Width Ft. 12 4 11 0.89 -0.07
Slope % -2.0 -4.0 1 (V): 4 1 (V): 4

• Lane
• Width = 12
• Slope = -2.0
• Shoulder
• Width = 4
• Slope = -4.0
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• Inslope
• Width = 15 – 4 = 11
• Slope = 1:4
• Fill Slope
• Slope not specified
• Use 1:4

• Second enter in misc. properties.

Increasing Station
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• The 14x6 is the southernmost culvert

• Culvert CL Sta. = 1418.57

• Upstation vs Downstation Inverts
• Right side down station
• Left side up station
• Skew = 20°

Properties
Culvert Invert El. Invert El.
Skew (°)
CL Sta. (Down Sta.) (Up Sta.)
14+18.57 958.1 958.3 20

• We know Right side is downstation and Left side is upstation, so we

need to find the respective invert elevations. Note that the invert
elevations are given at the end of the end sections instead of at the
ends of the main culvert barrel in this plan. Typically these elevations
can be used, since the difference will be so minor, but for more
accuracy, the invert elevations at the ends of the culvert barrel can be
calculated and input.

• Invert (Downstation) = Right side = 958.1 (14x6)

• Invert (Upstation) = Left side = 958.3 (14x6)

Properties
Culvert Invert El. Invert El.
Skew (°)
CL Sta. (Down Sta.) (Up Sta.)
14+18.57 958.1 958.3 20
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• Enter in vertical profile (see detail below)

• PVI
o Station = 1425.00
o Elevation = 968.5
o Length = 165
• G1 = -0.78
• G2 = 0.57

Vertical Curve

Single Curve Profile

VC Elevation

PVC Sta. 13+42.5 PVC 969.144

PVI Sta. 14+25. PVI 968.500
PVT Sta. 15+07.5 PVT 968.970

Length 165.0000

G1 % -0.7800

G2 % 0.5700
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 Size: 14x6
 Class = 2
 Lintel Fill = Middle
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Size Class Lintel Fill

14x6 2 Middle

 Final Results
 Calculator shows 52’
 Plans shows 52’
 Calculated fill within class range

Culvert Section

Size Class Lintel Fill Length (Ft.) Dist. Slab?

14x6 2 Middle 52' No

Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4

Fill Range <3 3- 6 6 - 11 11 - 16
Satisfy? - Yes - -
Max Ft. 3.75 3.75 3.75 3.67
Min Ft. 3.29 3.29 3.29 3.21
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