Schleweis Road Box Culvert

General Information

The Schleweis Road Box Culvert over Iron Creek is located between Bowens Road and Lemm Road in Section 26 of Manchester Township. 

The original culvert was concrete box culvert with concrete wingwalls and headwalls.  The opening (span) of the culvert was 8.2-ft. wide, with a rise (height) of 6.3-ft, and length of 16-ft. 

This culvert is scheduled to be replaced in 2008 by the Washtenaw County Road Commission.

Latest Media Release  (none available at this time)

Background

The Schleweis Road Box Culvert was removed from the road system in 1990, due to bridge and road failure.  A major storm in 1989 caused severe flooding; and by 1990, the Road Commission  was forced to remove the culvert altogether.

The original culvert was a concrete box culvert with concrete wingwalls and headwalls. The opening in the box culvert was 8.2-ft. wide (span) with a 6.3-ft. rise (height) and 16-ft. in length.  The road embankment over the top of the box culvert was 9-ft. tall. In the summer of 1989, the headwall at the downstream face of the culvert failed and fell into the creek. As a result, the roadway embankment eroded into the creek, also causing the road to fail. The road was CLOSED immediately.  Federal emergency funds (FEMA) were obtained to remove the old culvert because the headwall was blocking water flow.  As part of the emergency permit, the Road Commission removed the culvert and restored the banks to a "natural" condition, eliminating the road crossing at this location.  Based on the removal work, the creek was provided a new stream width at this location of approximately 23 feet.

Between July 3 and 18, 2007, for the safety of the motoring public, the Road Commission was forced to close seven short-span bridges and culverts, due to their severe deterioration and structural failure. As a result, on August 7, 2007, the Board of County Road Commissioners, approved their Second Quarter Budget and several proposed amendments, including the allocation of a “not-to-exceed” amount of $800,000 to replace or repair the seven structures, and allocated a portion of the $800,000 at that time to also cover the cost to replace the Schleweis Road Culvert.  Estimated cost to replace this culvert is $200,000, which will be paid entirely by the Road Commission.

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