Coupling Remote Sensing and Machine Learning to Improve Culvert Inventories for Climate Resilient Infrastructure and Aquatic Connectivity

Culverts are critical infrastructure that provide the transportation network with a safe interface with surface waters; however, only 19% of total road-stream intersections in Oklahoma (OK) have a documented hydraulic structure, such as a culvert. Additionally, culverts that are inadequately designed or aged are at risk of causing flooding or even failure during high flow events, which could significantly impact transportation connectivity and safety. The lack of a comprehensive database of the location and condition of culverts in OK severely limits strategic investment in climate-resilient transportation infrastructure and the restoration of aquatic ecosystem connectivity, particularly in lesser-resourced areas such as rural and tribal areas. This project aims to identify and improve culvert inventory, inspection, and prioritization methods to improve the climate resilience and aquatic connectivity of culverts using remotely sensed, publicly available data. Specifically, the project will (1) apply spatial analysis to Oklahoma LiDAR and imagery data to identify culvert locations and attributes and validate with the OK Culvert Database developed in the Cycle 1 Southern Plains Transportation Center (SPTC) project using statistical analysis, (2) train a machine learning algorithm to characterize culverts based on input data sets (e.g., georeferenced images), (3) develop inspection protocols that incorporate remote sensing to aid in culvert prioritization and rehabilitation efforts for transportation and aquatic connectivity, and (4) apply methods to case study watersheds to evaluate their efficacy.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.sptc.org/cy2-osu-ou-02

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $136,432.00
• Contract Numbers:

  CY2-OSU-OU-02

  69A3552348306

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Southern Plains Transportation Center

  University of Oklahoma
  202 W Boyd St, Room 213A
  Norman, OK  United States  73019
• Project Managers:

  Dunn, Denise

• Performing Organizations:

  Oklahoma State University, Stillwater

  School of Civil & Environmental Engineering
  Stillwater, OK  United States  74078
• Principal Investigators:

  Schussler, Jaime

  Neeson, Thomas M

• Start Date: 20241001
• Expected Completion Date: 20250930
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Culverts; Inspection; Inventory; Location; Machine learning; Remote sensing; Spatial analysis
• Geographic Terms: Oklahoma
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Data and Information Technology; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01941672
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Southern Plains Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: CY2-OSU-OU-02, 69A3552348306
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jan 1 2025 1:35PM