County may face culvert crunch

Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter | Apr 05, 20180

A washout on Clear Creek Road just more than a year ago off Highway 272 led to the replacement of a 70-foot-long galvanized steel culvert beneath the road. The project to replace the 13-foot diameter pipe included $25,000 for the new pipe

The former pipe was 50 to 60 years old, and its demise may be a signal of what is to come in Whitman County.

“I think we're gonna be seeing more of these,” said Mark Storey, Whitman County Public Works director.

Storey and the county's three road supervisors, who each oversee a district of the county, have begun talking about a more extensive inspection schedule for the culverts which allow a stream or canal to pass under a road. As is, the large culverts are inspected systematically every two years, like bridges.

What is being discussed now is a plan for the smaller culverts.

“Until now there hasn't been much of a reason to have one,” Storey said, referring to the age of the pipes. “Each of the supervisors has a good idea of the conditions of the culverts.”

Because many roads in the county were paved in the 1950s and '60s, many of the culverts were put in at the same time, putting the pipes at near their expected duration of use. On Clear Creek Road, the galvanized steel pipe had rusted to the point that the metal failed, allowing dirt to wash into the pipe and for the road to begin to collapse.

Galvanizing refers to a coating that resists rust.

Culverts also are in place under many gravel roads in the county, but since these routes tend to snake around more, they cross fewer creeks and drainages. Paved roads tend to cross bigger drainages.

Is this a danger for motorists?

“It could be,” Storey said. “A hole opening in the road is a hazard... There's no way to know for sure when something like that shows up.”

When they do, as happened on Clear Creek Road, about a foot-wide hole first appeared, then slowly grew.

The holes do not open quickly like a sinkhole.