Concrete bridge system and related methods

Abstract

A concrete culvert assembly includes a set of spaced apart elongated footers, a plurality of precast concrete culvert sections supported by the footers. Each concrete culvert section has an open bottom, an arch-shaped top wall and spaced apart side walls to define a passage thereunder, each of the side walls extending downward and outward from the top wall. Each of the side walls has a substantially planar inner surface and a substantially planar outer surface. First and second haunch sections each join one of the side walls to the top wall. Each side wall is tapered from top to bottom such that a thickness of each side wall decreases when moving from the top of each side wall to the bottom of each side wall. A bottom portion of each side wall has an exterior vertical flat extending upward from a horizontal bottom surface thereof.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . A method of manufacturing a concrete culvert section having an open bottom, a top wall and spaced apart side walls to define a passage thereunder, each of said side walls having a substantially planar inner surface and a substantially planar outer surface, the top wall having an arch-shaped inner surface and an arch-shaped outer surface and a substantially uniform thickness, each side wall having varying thickness that decreases when moving from the top of each side wall to the bottom of each side wall, first and second haunch sections, each haunch section joining one of the side walls to the top wall, each haunch section defining a corner thickness greater than the thickness of the top wall, the method comprising:
 providing a form system in which, for each side wall, an interior form structure portion defines the position of the inner surface of the side wall and an exterior form structure portion defines the position and orientation of the outer surface of the side wall, the exterior form structure portion arranged to pivot or to move along a surface of a top wall form structure portion;   based upon an established bottom span or rise for the culvert section, pivoting the exterior form structure portion or moving the exterior form structure portion to a position that sets a relative angle between interior form structure portion and the exterior form structure portion; and   filling the form structure with concrete to produce the culvert section.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the exterior form structure portion for each side wall includes a downward facing side arranged to slide over a corresponding side wall form seat structure. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  wherein a bottom form structure is positioned between the interior form structure and the exterior form structure to define the intended width for the bottom surface of the resulting side wall. 
     
     
         18 - 24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . A concrete culvert assembly for installation in the ground, comprising a set of spaced apart elongated footers, a plurality of precast concrete culvert sections supported by said footers in side by side alignment, each of said concrete culvert sections having:
 an open bottom, an arch-shaped top wall and spaced apart side walls to define a passage thereunder, each of said side walls extending downward and outward from the top wall, each of said side walls having a substantially planar inner surface and a substantially planar outer surface, first and second haunch sections, each haunch section joining one of the side walls to the top wall, each haunch section defining a corner thickness greater than a thickness of the top wall, each side wall being tapered from top to bottom such that a thickness of each side wall decreases when moving from the top of each side wall to the bottom of each side wall, a bottom portion of each side wall having an exterior vertical flat extending upward from a horizontal bottom surface thereof, wherein the exterior vertical flat is between about 3 inches and 7 inches high.   
     
     
         26 . The concrete culvert assembly of  claim 25  wherein each concrete culvert section is formed in two halves, each half formed by one side wall and a portion of the top wall, the two top portions secured together along a joint at a central portion of the top wall of the culvert section. 
     
     
         27 . The concrete culvert assembly of  claim 25  wherein each culvert section is seated atop a foundation system and the exterior vertical flat of each culvert section abuts lateral supporting structure of the foundation system. 
     
     
         28 . The concrete culvert assembly of  claim 27  wherein the foundation system includes precast concrete units and cast-in-place concrete, the lateral supporting structure is cast-in-place concrete.