Highway Detour Design Analysis

Cameron Berko, a co-op student from the University of Waterloo, worked as part of a team in the Transportation Department at a renowned engineering consulting firm. The Transportation Department was responsible for the design, drafting, review, and submittal of contract packages for various projects in the field of transportation engineering. The consulting firm was awarded a project to propose and design alternatives to replace two corrugated steel pipe arch (CSPA) culverts with a single concrete box culvert below a section of rural highway in Ontario. A field review indicated the pipes were rusted and decayed, warranting replacement in the immediate future; however, this activity presents a significant impact on the functionality of the highway over a short period of time. While this impact would be limited by the project’s relatively short duration, the issue of traffic movement and control during the project lifespan had to be addressed. The need for a traffic detour plan for the specific section of undivided highway in question was identified by the client1. An acceptable detour design must provide motorists with a safely traversable highway detour.

Cameron Berko was asked to evaluate existing detour plans and recommend an optimal approach based on specific detour design and performance criteria.