RCP Under Deep Fills

Speaker:  Doug Kirk, P.E. – WV DOT

Presentation Description:

When the West Virginia Division of Highways updated Design Directives to use more concrete pipe, it seemed simple enough to add notes to the Fill Height Tables: “For fill heights that exceed those given for Class V pipe, contact a supplier for a special design.” However, producing culverts to withstand fill heights greater than 100 feet is challenging. Procedural changes and design innovations are being explored. These include earlier contact with culvert suppliers, using box shapes instead of circular pipes, dry-cast concrete, and design changes to reduce the fill height. Suppliers, designers, and builders are working together to provide safe sustainable stream crossings for West Virginia Highways.

Speaker Bio:

Doug Kirk has served as a Highway Engineer with the West Virginia Division of Highways for 27 years. After a few years in each of the roadway and structural design sections, Doug discovered his niche as a founding member of the Hydraulic & Drainage Unit. The Unit has rewritten hydraulic Design Directives and the WVDOH Drainage Manual and continues to update them. Doug continues to advocate for sustainable design and construction of highways in his new position as Chief Engineer of Environmental Compliance. He is a Professional Engineer, Certified Floodplain Manager, and a graduate of the University of Missouri at Kansas City.