Development of Low-Water Crossing Design Guidelines for Very Low ADT Routes in Illinois

Bhattarai, Rabin; Kalita, Prasanta; Gautam, Sudip; Howard, Heide; Svendsen, Niels; Gambill, Daniel

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/94998 Copy

Description

Title

Development of Low-Water Crossing Design Guidelines for Very Low ADT Routes in Illinois

Author(s)

• Bhattarai, Rabin
• Kalita, Prasanta
• Gautam, Sudip
• Howard, Heide
• Svendsen, Niels
• Gambill, Daniel

Issue Date

2016-11

Keyword(s)

• low-water crossing
• fords
• signage

Geographic Coverage

Illinois

Abstract

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and local agencies monitor and regulates the 146,764 mi of roadway that are open to public travel in the State of Illinois. There are many old and aging bridges, culverts, and low-water crossings on rural low-volume roads that need to be replaced. Low-water crossings (LWCs) have been used as an economical alternative to culverts and bridges, designed without overtopping, on low-volume roads where there is low number of floods. The lack of design guidance has posed difficulty for county engineers in Illinois in deciding when, where, and which type of low-water crossing to use. The resulting structure is often either overdesigned or underdesigned. A study was conducted to design the guidelines for LWCs in Illinois at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) and support from the IDOT. The study included literature review, a LWC survey, and case studies on LWCs in Illinois. The results from a survey conducted among the county engineers in Illinois about their experience with LWCs are presented, along with commonly used LWCs, site considerations, selection criteria, and signage requirements. Design criteria and procedure for the LWCs design, construction, and best management practices are also discussed. Additionally, case studies, design examples, and permitting requirements for LWCs are included in the report. Implementation of LWC guidelines could save local agencies significant funding, due to lower construction and maintenance costs, less channel and flood plain blockage, and better adaptability and storm-proofing characteristics, as well as reduced impacts to aquatic organism passage.

Publisher

Illinois Center for Transportation/Illinois Department of Transportation

Series/Report Name or Number

Illinois Center for Transportation Series No. 16‐022

ISSN

0197-9191

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/94998

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

Illinois Department of Transportation, R27-148

Copyright and License Information

No restrictions. This document is available through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161.

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