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Civil Engineering & Construction vocabulary · Roads and Bridges

Culvert

Meaning in civil engineering & construction, with examples

/ˈkʌlvərt/nounAdvanced term

In civil engineering & construction, culvert means: A pipe or box-shaped channel that carries a stream or drainage water under a road, railway or embankment.

In Turkish: menfez, büz, kutu menfez

How it is used

Culverts are sized for the expected flood flow, built from concrete pipes or precast box units, and finished with headwalls at each end. Blocked culverts are a common cause of flooded roads.

Example sentences

  1. The new box culvert will carry the stream under the bypass.

  2. Debris blocked the culvert and the water overtopped the road.

Common collocations

  • box culvert
  • pipe culvert
  • culvert headwall
  • culvert inlet
  • culvert outlet
  • drainageThe system of pipes, channels, gullies and ditches that collects rainwater or wastewater and carries it away from a road, building or site.
  • gradientThe steepness of a slope, given as a ratio or a percentage, such as 1 in 20 or 5%. Roads, ramps, drains and roofs all have specified gradients.
  • pavementThe layered structure of a road, runway or parking area that carries the traffic, usually asphalt or concrete laid over granular base layers.
  • earthworksAll the work of moving soil on a site: excavating, transporting, filling, compacting and shaping the ground to the required levels.

More terms: Roads and Bridges

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