Difference between bridge and culvert?

What is the difference. And if the print that designed the structure says it is a bridge. And it meets the state criteria for a bridge . Would it be a bridge or a culvert?

I've been told by a structural engineer in CA that it would be considered a bridge if the span is 20 feet or longer.

Jlav1 said:

What is the difference. And if the print that designed the structure says it is a bridge. And it meets the state criteria for a bridge . Would it be a bridge or a culvert?

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The term "bridge" can sometimes be broad and include culverts. The feds define a bridge as any above grade crossing that spans 20ft or more, but that's really just a definition created for the national bridge inventory. A 16ft bridge is still a bridge, its just not on the national registry and therefore doesn't require inspection. What differentiates a culvert from a bridge is that culverts convey water through them and are typically made up of sections of boxes or pipes. The definition gets a little gray when you're comparing say a concrete slab bridge and a box culvert. Then you need to look more into the design (does it have bearings? What's the reinforcement pattern? Is there an invert? Etc)