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<br />(4) Rate the condition of the culvert. <br /> <br />(5) Document the findings of a culvert inspection. <br /> <br />(6) Recognize and document traffic safety conditions. <br /> <br />(7) Recommend corrective actions. <br /> <br />To meet this objective, the manual provides general procedures for conducting, <br />reporting, and documenting a culvert inspection, and guidelines for inspecting <br />and rating specific hydraulic and structural culvert components. <br /> <br />b. A second objective of the manual is to provide users with the <br />information necessary to understand and evaluate the significance of defects <br />found during an inspection of an existing culvert. To meet this objective, a <br />review of how culverts should function structurally and hydraulically is <br />provided. Durability concepts are also reviewed. <br /> <br />c. The third major objective of this manual is to serve as a stand alone <br />supplement to the Bridge Inspector's Training Manual 70. The information that <br />is contained in this manual specifically addresses culvert inspections. To be <br />a stand alone document applicable information in the Manual 70 has been <br />summarized in this manual. <br /> <br />1-2.2 Intended Audience. <br /> <br />a. Bridge Inspectors--Culverts with a total opening length of over 20 feet <br />are conventionally classified as bridges and must currently be inspected as <br />part of the National Bridge Inspection Program. Therefore, the primary group <br />of individuals this manual was written for are bridge inspection personnel <br />responsible for inspecting structures that are designed hydraulically or <br />structurally as culverts. <br /> <br />b. Maintenance Personnel--Although bridges with spans over 20 feet usually <br />are inspected by bridge inspectors, culverts with a total opening length of <br />under 20 feet are usually inspected by maintenance personnel. Maintenance <br />personnel with culvert inspection responsibilities, therefore, should also <br />find this manual helpful. <br /> <br />1-2.3 Organization of the Manual. <br /> <br />This manual is organized into five chapters. Chapter 1, introduces the need <br />for guidelines that specifically address culvert inspection. Chapter 2 <br />describes the personnel qualifications, equipment requirements, and safety <br />considerations for culvert inspection. Chapter 3 reviews basic concepts <br />related to hydraulic, structural, and durability design. Chapter 4 presents <br />general procedures for conducting and documenting culvert inspections. <br />Chapter 5 contains guidelines for inspecting and rating the major structural <br />and hydraulic components of pre-cast concrete, cast-in-place concrete, and <br />corrugated metal structures. <br /> <br />7 <br />