Earth Day, which takes place annually on April 22, reminds us to evaluate our collective impact on the environment and to consider the steps we can take to reduce our footprint.
Here at Iowa DOT Research, we are constantly on the lookout for ways to protect our natural resources.
One of the things we can do is protect our watersheds. Culverts, like the one pictured here, are designed to help water flow beneath a road, railroad, or other type of structure. When a culvert is situated in an erosion-prone location, sediment can wash in and quickly build up – disrupting the flow and causing damage upstream.
Culvert monitoring and maintenance is an important part of Iowa DOT’s work, but it’s not the only solution.
Dedicated to keeping our waterways clean, Iowa DOT went back to basics in 2009 to reassess every aspect of traditional culverts in an effort to find room for improvement. This work, which involved testing
a variety of culvert formations over several years, culminated in an
all-new culvert design that restricts sediment from entering and virtually eliminates the need for cleaning. The efforts also resulted in a prestigious national award in 2016.
To build on these achievements, Iowa DOT
has partnered with three other state departments of transportation – Mississippi, New Mexico, and Utah – to address these ongoing challenges related to culverts. By sharing the costs of research, participating states can explore alternative culvert designs and other mitigation strategies for far less than each would spend on its own.
Learn more about Iowa DOT’s other environmental efforts, including
reducing erosion at construction sites and
creative recycling solutions.