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Contech has over 100 years of experience manufacturing corrugated metal pipe (CMP) for culverts and other drainage structures. Steel headwalls reduce the potential for scour and the undermining of a culvert during flow events, including a major storm for all types of basins.
CHS® is composed of a CMP culvert, prefabricated flat panel headwall and metric sheeting wingwalls to create a single or multi-barrel culvert system for all types and sizes. Designing with steel headwalls can save thousands of dollars versus conventional concrete headwalls.
Efficient Inlet Flow Design
Steel headwalls can more efficiently direct flows into culvert, decreasing entrance losses when compared to other entrance conditions.
Durability
Steel headwalls are available in hot-dip galvanized (HDG) heavy gage steel. HDG headwalls are compatible with galvanized steel, aluminized steel, and polymer coated steel pipe culverts.
Project Cost & Time Savings
CHS® provides immediate material savings and construction savings. Crane rental is typically not required when installing steel headwalls versus heavy concrete sections. CHS® allows for installation in standing water. Factory made pre-fabricated steel headwalls can save weeks of installation time versus poured in place concrete headwalls.
CHS™ is Contech’s prefabricated steel culvert headwall system designed for culvert installations. The system combines a corrugated metal pipe culvert, prefabricated flat-panel steel headwall, and metric sheeting wingwalls into a complete inlet and outlet structure for single- or multi-barrel culvert applications.
CHS™ is commonly used for:
It is designed for both inlet and outlet culvert protection in transportation and site drainage infrastructure projects.
Compared to cast-in-place or precast concrete headwalls, CHS™ offers:
Factory-fabricated steel headwalls can save weeks of construction time compared to poured-in-place concrete structures.
CHS™ improves culvert hydraulics by efficiently directing water flow into the culvert opening, helping reduce entrance losses and improving inlet efficiency. Properly designed headwalls can also help prevent scour, erosion, and undermining of the culvert ends during major storm events.
Headwalls help:
Contech notes that improperly designed end treatments are a leading cause of culvert failures. The FHWA recommends end treatments for all 48” diameter or larger pipe culverts.
CHS™ headwalls are manufactured from heavy-gage hot-dip galvanized (HDG) steel. Standard systems are commonly fabricated from:
CHS™ are compatible with galvanized, aluminized steel Type 2 (ALT2), and polymer-coated corrugated metal pipe systems.
Yes. CHS™ can be configured for both single-barrel and multi-barrel culvert systems across a wide range of pipe diameters and site configurations.
Yes. By incorporating headwalls and wingwalls, CHS™ can reduce the total length of culvert pipe needed, especially where right-of-way is limited or embankment slopes are steep.
Yes. Culvert headwalls can improve culvert hydraulic capacity by creating more efficient inlet conditions. Culvert headwalls operating under inlet control typically achieve greater hydraulic efficiency when headwalls are used.
Yes. CHS™ systems are prefabricated and lightweight compared to concrete structures. Installation advantages include:
Many installations can be completed using conventional excavators and compaction equipment without specialized lifting equipment.
Yes. One of the advantages of CHS™ is that it can often be installed in standing water conditions without requiring extensive dewatering or cofferdam systems that are commonly needed for concrete headwall construction.
Yes. CHS™ headwalls and wingwalls help stabilize the embankment around the culvert opening and reduce erosion, scour, and soil loss caused by concentrated stormwater flows.
The steel headwall is physically welded to the corrugated metal pipe, creating a fixed, integrated connection between the pipe and headwall assembly.
CHS™ utilizes hot-dip galvanized heavy-gage steel for long-term durability. Depending on the project environment, systems may be paired with:
Properly specified systems can provide service lives exceeding 75 years in many culvert environments.
No. CHS is designed to be installed using standard construction equipment such as:
This helps simplify construction logistics and reduce project costs.
Yes. Standard CHS™ systems are pre-engineered to meet highway loading requirements for transportation infrastructure projects. CHS™ systems can also be designed for railroad loading conditions.
Yes. CHS™ can provide cost savings through:
These factors often make CHS™ a more economical alternative to traditional concrete headwall systems.
Yes. Contech provides:
These services help engineers and contractors streamline project delivery and installation.
Key advantages of CHS™ include:
These benefits make CHS™ a durable and cost-effective alternative to traditional concrete headwall construction for culvert infrastructure projects.
Our team is ready to provide you with expert advice and assistance on local regulatory requirements, resulting in faster approvals.
Our engineers can review your requirements, weigh all options, and recommend the optimal solution to integrate with your site designs.
Our engineers can assist by providing product specific engineering calculations such as hydraulics, buoyancy, foundation reactions, and unit sizing.
We can quickly provide engineer’s cost
estimates to assist with your solution
selection process.
Our engineers can provide site-specific drawings for proposals, project meetings, and submittals, helping you be more efficient with your time.
Contractors know time is money, so we provide preconstruction meetings, delivery coordination, and on-site installation support to ensure a timely, smooth installation.