Culvert Management That Meets DOT Protocol

This success story is second in a two-part series on Multnomah County’s high-performance operations. Read the original Multnomah case study, “When Access Databases Aren't Enough."

Challenge

When a regional neighbor experienced a public culvert failure, Multnomah County had a wake-up call. They knew it was time to get a better handle on their culvert asset management in hopes of preventing a similar failure on their watch.

“We realized we didn’t have a census of our culverts and we didn’t have the current condition of all of our culverts,” said Chet Hagen, asset management program manager with Multnomah County Department of Community Service.

Working with the Oregon Department of Transportation, the county decided to simplify the existing statewide protocol, then move it into Cartegraph's culvert software to gather, assess, and prioritize repairs on culverts with high efficiency.

Solution

First, the team captured existing roadside assets in Cartegraph. Then, they performed in-person inspections of those assets—using Cartegraph’s mobile apps to measure asset conditions and photograph each culvert.

As part of a fall and winter preparatory inspection, the team assessed and rated culvert conditions using specific metrics—such as structural, hydraulic, and geotechnical conditions. Through the process, the team identified and codified specific problems such as cracking, out of round, pavement cracks, and open joints.

An additional numbered system helped the team measure where within the asset repairs were needed: near the inlet or outlet of the culvert, on the road surface, or inside the barrel itself.

“We have come a long way in developing our inspection program," says Lauren Spear, senior GIS analyst. "We are now at a point that we not only know where our culverts are located, but also what condition they are in and what repairs are needed. This data is invaluable in moving toward developing our levels of service and proactively managing our culvert assets.”