HyGround Engineering Team: Lindsay Duran, Sarah Pong, Eunice Zhao
2012-2013: In collaboration with HyGround Engineering and the Williamsburg Highway Department, this student team designed a replacement structure for the culvert on Depot Road in Williamsburg, MA, and proposed a realignment design for the road. Depot Road floods frequently as a result of the undersized culvert; flooding further damages the curved road that is already hazardous for driving.
The team focused first on the new road, including pavement design and road realignment to enable safe travel at 35 mph. After researching structural forms and materials for the culvert, the team selected a pre-cast concrete open-bottom box structure. The team then completed both hydrologic and hydraulic analyses to size the structure and evaluate its performance. Their recommended design opening of 4′ x 35′ can handle the projected 50-year, 24-hour storm flow rate of 1900 cfs, with velocities below 10 ft/s. The team also analyzed the soil at the site and designed a strip foundation for the new structure and gabion walls to train the stream and reinforce the banks. The team compiled a full cost estimate of material and installation costs and also prepared a construction staging plan.
The deliverables for this project include construction plans, a cost estimate, and documents to support permitting. Construction was completed in 2022.