The effects of live loads on a culvert are increased as the height of cover over the culvert increases.

The effects of live loads on a culvert are increased as the height of cover over the culvert increases.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not sure
• D. N/A

Answer: (B)

The key idea is how burial depth changes how traffic loads reach a buried culvert. When a culvert is buried deeper, the surrounding soil carries more of the load through arching and lateral confinement. This distributes the live-load input from traffic over a larger area and reduces the peak force that actually acts on the culvert itself. So, even though the overburden adds dead weight, the portion of the live load that reaches the culvert tends to be smaller as the cover increases. In short, deeper cover tends to lessen the impact of live loads on the culvert, making the statement false.

The key idea is how burial depth changes how traffic loads reach a buried culvert. When a culvert is buried deeper, the surrounding soil carries more of the load through arching and lateral confinement. This distributes the live-load input from traffic over a larger area and reduces the peak force that actually acts on the culvert itself. So, even though the overburden adds dead weight, the portion of the live load that reaches the culvert tends to be smaller as the cover increases. In short, deeper cover tends to lessen the impact of live loads on the culvert, making the statement false.