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Date: 1/24/2023
SUNDERLAND – Last fall, in an effort to identify and prioritize maintenance and capital improvements for the Highway Department, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) was asked to make a rapid assessment of all 412 culverts in town. The results were pretty good, but some problems were inevitable.
“The issue with all of our towns in our region is that all these smaller drainage culverts that were put in 50 years ago just aren’t able to pass the water that’s coming out of the sky these days,” said Megan Rhodes, geographic information system (GIS) program manager and planning coordinator for FRCOG. “When they are overwhelmed by the rainfall events it can cause damage to the roads, or wash them
out.”
Fully 82 percent of the culverts, drop basins and drainage structures in Sunderland were deemed in good condition. According to Rhodes, the towns in this area, on average, have about 70 percent of their culverts fully maintained. Rhodes appreciated that Sunderland is proactive in maintaining the town’s culverts, though 18 percent do need some work.
Nine percent were in fair condition, which involves a 25 percent blockage, or the structure has a free fall of water of 10 inches or more. A large drop may cause undue erosion. Those culverts, Rhodes said, just need a basic clean-out and shouldn’t raise any red flags.
Another 5 percent were in poor condition, signaling 50 percent blockage, some compromise in drainage, and/or the metal pipe that runs beneath the roadbed is rusted for a foot or more. If there is more blockage, more rust or greater loss of drainage, the culvert is in critical condition and needs repairs in the near term.
“It is (expensive),” Rhodes said. “That’s why towns like Sunderland are having these inventories, so they can get an idea of costs and what the maintenance needs are, so they can start planning for budgeting in the future.”
Grants are available to help with the more costly culvert updates, which includes those with streams running through them, which must be improved to meet ‘stream crossing standards’. Those structures are more complicated, governed by more state regulation, and more expensive.
According to the survey, 41 drainage structures are associated with stream crossings. Of those, one is in critical condition and seven are in poor shape. The majority need shoring up of headwalls and wingwalls, structures external to the pipe, and the pipe may also be significantly rusted and need to be replaced with larger diameter pipes, which will ensure, according to the report, they will be “more resilient to future storm events.” All need to be cleaned out.
Culverts on dirt roads may also become more expensive projects. Erosion may threaten the road itself.
“Cross Mountain Road is a dirt road that’s having drainage issues,” Rhodes said. “It’s on a steep hill, so certainly as rain washes down it could cause erosion, and could wash it out.”
When a dirt road washes out the restoration can be extremely expensive. A heavy storm in Warwick two years ago, for example, damaged several dirt roads that required $2 million in emergency work. Those rescue funds may not be available for Sunderland. The town, however, would still have to replace the road to ensure all residences are accessible to emergency services.
Undamaged, empty of sand and free of rust, many culverts will be replaced anyway. The greater precipitation in the era of global warming is prompting towns to take inventory and identify culverts that are too small. Those culverts, Rhodes said, can be dug up and replaced without unreasonable expense.
Most replacements will be made of plastic in a much larger size than the existing pipe.
Several existing culverts are in such bad shape they drew special attention. Culvert 135, at Old Amherst Road, has a failing headwall of wood beams, concrete and fieldstone. The culvert runs under Old Amherst Road and the parking lot of a gas station. Culvert 272, located at North Silver Lane, is half blocked at the inlet, with 24 inches of the metal pipe completely rusted out. Culverts 62, 63 and 162, located on Grobko Cross Road and Russell Street respectively, are close to Mohawk and Dry Brooks, which intensifies any drainage problems.
Along with steady upkeep, going through the list of culverts and fixing the problems, the town may be in good shape because of its location on the floodplain. The relatively flat landscape keeps the water from running fast and gouging out more soil.
“The water isn’t going as fast as it would be, in the hills, so it causes less erosion. They’re actually in better shape than they would’ve been otherwise,” Rhodes said. “That’s the nuts and bolts of what we found in Sunderland. They’re in good shape, compared with most towns around here.”