Simulations Reveal How Aging Culvert Failures Can Isolate 30% of Residents
A new study in Risk Analysis demonstrates that the failure of small, aging culverts can severely disrupt emergency access. In a simulated scenario for the Deerfield River watershed in Massachusetts, a storm intensity of 7 on a 10-point scale caused approximately 350 culverts to fail, leaving roughly 30% of the local population unable to reach the only nearby emergency room. The research highlights that while large bridges often receive more attention, the nation’s six million culverts are increasingly vulnerable to intense, short-duration rainfall events.