HANNIBAL - "They don't make them like they used to" is probably what MoDOT maintenance crews said last summer when they replaced what is maybe one of the last wooden box culverts in northeast Missouri. The creosote-soaked culvert, located on Route T just south of Hannibal in Ralls County, was built in 1937 and measured 4 feet by 6 feet by 46 feet long.

"Due to environmental restrictions on creosote timbers, structural damage from trees and roots, and traffic, we replaced the 72-year-old wooden structure with corrugated metal piping," explained MoDOT Maintenance and Traffic Engineer Mark Giessinger. "Most people are more familiar with creosote timbers used on railroad tracks," he added.

The history of box culverts shows the structure was used for minor drainage over the years, but also served as passage for livestock belonging to local farmers owning and grazing land on both sides of the road. "The excellence in craftsmanship and early engineering of the timber culvert, although primitive, was still evident." Giessinger said.  Most culverts today are prefabricated and made of concrete or corrugated metal.

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