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Federal Highway Administration
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Washington, DC 20590
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Bridges & Structures

 

Publications

Hydraulic Design of Highway Culverts, Third Edition

Hydraulic Design Series Number 5 (HDS 5) originally merged culvert design information contained in Hydraulic Engineering Circulars (HEC) 5, 10, and 13 with other related hydrologic, storage routing and special culvert design information. This third edition is the first major rewrite of HDS 5 since 1985, updating all previous information and adding new information on software solutions, aquatic organism passage, culvert assessment, and culvert repair and rehabilitation. The result is a comprehensive culvert design publication. The appendices of the publication contain the equations and methodology used in developing the design charts (nomographs) and software programs, information on hydraulic resistance of culverts, the commonly used design charts, and Design Guidelines (DG) illustrating various culvert design calculation procedures. The number of design charts provided has been reduced recognizing the increased use of software solutions; however, the full set of culvert design charts will continue to be available in the archived second edition of HDS 5.

  • FHWA Publication Number: HIF-12-026
  • Publication Year: 2012

 


Other documents in this series:

The PDF file(s) can be downloaded at no cost, there are no free copies of the printed materials. However, printed copies are available for purchase at the NHI store: https://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/training/nhistoresearchresults.aspx?topicnum=135 (look for "REFERENCE MANUAL" under the Type column).

Updated: 10/10/2023
Federal Highway Administration | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington, DC 20590 | 202-366-4000