This South Dakota Department of Transportation research provides a data-driven framework for selecting precast or cast-in-place reinforced concrete box culverts based on site conditions, constructability, cost, and long-term performance.
South Dakota box culvert project overview
The technical report was prepared by researchers at Texas State University–San Marcos with support from the South Dakota Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. Carlos Moro, Wilson Espinoza, Anthony Torres, Satyapriya Kambampati, and Kehinde Adewale are the report authors.
The study responds to a practical transportation-engineering question: when should a reinforced concrete box culvert be precast, and when do project conditions justify cast-in-place construction?
What the study evaluated
The research combined practitioner interviews, agency surveys, inspection records, project cost information, and predictive modeling. These sources were used to compare precast and cast-in-place alternatives across construction speed, traffic disruption, geometry, soil and hydraulic conditions, quality, and service performance.
Key practical findings
Precast construction is generally advantageous for standard installations because it can shorten on-site construction and reduce traffic impacts. Cast-in-place construction remains important where projects involve high skews, challenging hydraulic conditions, poor soils, large rises, or specialized geometry.
The report also presents selection criteria and proposed updates for the South Dakota Department of Transportation Bridge Design Manual, including guidance on skew and rise limits, hybrid configurations, and the use of multiple single-cell units.
Kehinde Adewale’s contribution
Kehinde Adewale served as a co-author of the report, extending his work at the intersection of concrete materials, constructability, project delivery, and resilient infrastructure.
Full report citation
Moro, C., Espinoza, W., Torres, A., Kambampati, S., & Adewale, K. (2026). Refinement of Reinforced Concrete Box Culvert Installation Guidelines (Report No. SD2023-07). South Dakota Department of Transportation.
Read the transportation research report
Access the official record, complete report, and supporting project information.