Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
(OP)
Was recently watching the Dakar Rally going through sections of the Atacama desert and was wondering, if you designing a road through an area that is classed as the driest desert in the world would you still bother putting stormwater culverts at the low points under the road? Or just assume that the little bit of rain that falls will pond on the upstream side and eventually evaporate or be absorbed by the soil?





RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
They do have flash floods in deserts...
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto: KISS
Motivation: Don't ask
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
Obviously you would put culverts (or a drift) where you have a large catchment, but what about where the catchment is small?
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
Or would you just assume thatglobal warming will have an effect and put them in for 2012 when the aliens arrive?
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
I think you'll find that providing for our furred friends is a major consideration here in the UK.
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Just don't mention newts (of the Great Crested variety).
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
i remember being airborn a few times flying along some of those back roads, and wondered at the time why they did it like that
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
Having lived in Southwest Texas, Saudi Arabia and now next to the Sahara, I can assure you that one of THE most common design mistakes is to assume that it does not rain in desert areas. All it takes is one time.
It is equally as common is to assume that the rain in Spain stays mainly on the plains.
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
Also we have those tunnels for all the protected animals to cross. How they know how to cross through a tunnel and not over a road is beyond me. Surprised no one has posted little signs for the critters.
B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil and Structural Engineering
http://bwengr.com
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
Typically, our storms produce flash floods and dip crossings are only flooded for short periods of time. So one can wait for the flooding to end.
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
I remember working on a tunnel that was basically ending up 200' underground and I was joking to the other engineers how an animal would know how to go in there? Do you want me to put a picture of a bear with forks and knives at the end of the tunnel as well?
To me drainage is all that matters, but some of the animal stuff incorporated seems so overkill.
B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil and Structural Engineering
http://bwengr.com
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
I have heard from biologists that wildlife typically does not cross through culverts showing the need for the overpasses. I disagree. I have inspected many culverts and always see tracks in the sand and mud.
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
Maybe the next time I drive up to Vegas I will attempt this. I have driven that route from LA a few times where the whole land next to the road was like a pool on both sides. And I have driven it while it was snowing/icey and it's pretty crazy. Obviously the roads were completely destroyed after that rain. Which I think took about 2 years before they really fixed the roads.
Most people still don't understand what I say when the West Coast saw almost 100 year storms recently.
B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil and Structural Engineering
http://bwengr.com
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
"...students of traffic are beginning to realize the false economy of mechanically controlled traffic, and hand work by trained officers will again prevail." - Wm. Phelps Eno, ca. 1928
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
But we all know they're weaselly pleased...boom...boom...
And yes, I am available for weddings, funerals and Bar Mitzvahs...
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?
Having never designed a storm system in the middle of nowhere, where does all that storm water get diverted to? I was close to working on a huge project in San Bernadino in a flood zone, mostly flat, but had a small mountain on the property and we could not figure out how to economically drain such a large area when a road is involved. My partner had worked on some pretty large projects and he wasn't sure how to handle this situation.
B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil and Structural Engineering
http://bwengr.com
RE: Storm Dainage on Desert Roads?