Driveway Drainage/Culvert Question

[justinramani]

So the other day I purchased some military surplus culverts. They come in two halves and are connected together on site. This allows for easy transportation/installation. So as I was thinking about what I was going to do with all of it amd I came up with an idea! Please feel free to poke holes in my idea.

We have a road on our property that is unimproved (dirt/sand) and is pretty steep in one area. When it rains the water gets moving quickly down the road and washes/erodes it away.

What if I placed the 1/2 pieces of culvert on an angle across the road and filled it with pea gravel? That would catch the water as it begins to flow down the road and would divert it off to the side. I could do this at maybe three or four locations along the 1200' drive. What do yall think? Am I wasting my time?

 

[woodlandfarms]

I cut grooves in my road using a trencher set shallow, running at an angle toward the ditch. Interesting idea on the culvert. Might fill with dirt over a few years but easy to clean.

 

[Pixguy]

I would consider filling the culvert with riprap instead of pea stone because it wouldn't fill with sand so quickly.

 

[justinramani]

Woodlandfarms/Pixguy-

Great points.... I didn't really consider the effect of sand and silt build up. I also think that it would take a lot of gravel to fill the entire 1/2 culvert. What if I bedded the bottom with a gravel, then added rip rap or broken concrete/bricks to fill in the cavity. On the top we can use crusher run that will pack a little tighter.

 

[Pixguy]

Obviously, I'm not a contractor but my minimal experience would consider placing the culvert with riprap except for the top 4", then placing landscape fabric across to prevent sand from filling in and then topping off with 1.5" crushed stone allowing for water to run through or downhill into your ditch.

At the bottom of my steep paved driveway where it meets the gravel private road, I took a 2X10 and screwed a 4X4 on both edges leaving a 2" gap to where the water runs into and then channels off to a ditch. I do have to keep it clean from sand and stone but works like a charm. Granted it's not a huge amount of water running off like you may have but works like a water bar as you plan to do.

 

[EddieWalker]

I wouldn't do it. First, the rain will wash under the culvert and create an impassable ditch. Then the pea gravel inside the culvert will either wash out, or get splashed out as you drive over it.

 

[teg]

Honestly, you need to build that road, you have it cleared now but you need ditches and a crown. Also, a plan to divert water away from the road where you can; BEFORE it gets onto the road. The crown will push the water to the ditches. Then you need to get gravel, crusher run, on the dirt asap... compact it in. Watch the road when it rains, and see where you need fix any issues with water.

If you need to run water from one side to the other, then use the culverts, both halves!

 

[justinramani]

Teg,

We are having a house build and they are still working on the road. They should start cutting in the ditches next week. We have just had so much rain lately that it had me thinking if another solution was necessary. Hopefully after the ditches are cut and the road is crowned we wont have the severe washouts.

 

[teg]

Ah ...the rest of the story... So you are looking for a temporary solution? How heavy duty are these things? can you drive over them without crushing them? Use them like a speed bump (maybe half buried) angled to the side? Just to divert the water for now?

 

[keegs]

Honestly, you need to build that road, you have it cleared now but you need ditches and a crown. Also, a plan to divert water away from the road where you can; BEFORE it gets onto the road. The crown will push the water to the ditches. Then you need to get gravel, crusher run, on the dirt asap... compact it in. Watch the road when it rains, and see where you need fix any issues with water.

If you need to run water from one side to the other, then use the culverts, both halves!

+1.....