CURBS

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Curbs serve any or all of the following purposes:
• Drainage control
• Roadway edge delineation
• Right of way reduction
• Aesthetics
• Delineation of pedestrian walkways
• Reduction of maintenance operations
• Assistance in orderly roadside development

CURBS
 Incorporates some raised or vertical element.
 Cement concrete curbs are installed by some highway agencies
 Granite curves are used where the local supply makes them economically competitive.
 Conventional concrete or Bituminous curbs offer little visible contrast to normal
pavements, particularly during fog or at night when surfaces are wet.

CURBS CONFIGURATIONS
• Curb configurations include both vertical and sloping curbs.
• A curb may be designed as a separate unit or integrally with the pavement. Vertical and
sloping curb designs may include a gutter, forming a combination curb and gutter section.
• Vertical curbs may be either vertical or nearly vertical and are intended to discourage
vehicles from leaving the roadway.
• Vertical curbs and safety walks may be desirable along the faces of long walls and
tunnels, particularly if full shoulders are not provided.
• Sloping curbs are designed so vehicles can cross them readily when the need arises.
• Extruded curbs of either cement or bituminous concrete are used in many states. Extruded
curbs usually have sloping faces because they provide better initial stability, are easier to
construct, and are more economical than steep faces.
• Sloping curbs can be used at median edges, to outline channelizing islands in intersection
areas, or at the outer edge of the shoulder.
• Shoulder curbs are placed at the outer edge of the shoulder to control drainage, improve
delineation, control access, and reduce erosion.

CURB PLACEMENT
• Vertical or sloping curbs located at the edge of the traveled way may have some effect on
lateral placement of moving vehicles, depending on the curb configuration and
appearance.
• Vertical curbs should not be used along freeways or other high-speed arterials, but if a
curb is needed, it should be of the sloping type and should not be located closer to the
traveled way than the outer edge of the shoulder.
DRAINAGE CHANNELS AND SIDESLOPES
• Modern highway drainage design should incorporate safety, good appearance, control of
pollutants, and economical maintenance.
• An important part of highway design is consistency, which prevents discontinuities in the
highway environment and considers the interrelationship of all highway elements.

DRAINAGE CHANNELS
• Drainage channels perform the vital function of collecting and conveying surface water
from the highway right-of-way.
• Drainage channels include (1) roadside channels in cut sections to remove water from the
highway cross section, (2) toe-of-slope channels to convey the water from any cut section
and from adjacent slopes to the natural watercourse, (3) intercepting channels placed
back of the top of cut slopes to intercept surface water, and (4) flumes to carry collected
water down steep cut or fill slopes.
• Median drainage channels are generally shallow depressed areas, or swales, located at or
near the center of the median, and formed by the flat side slopes of the divided roadways.
• Flumes are used to carry the water collected by intercepting channels down cut slopes
and to discharge the water collected by shoulder curbs. Flumes can either be open
channels or pipes.

SIDESLOPES
• Sideslopes should be designed to ensure roadway stability and to provide a reasonable
opportunity for recovery for an out-of-control vehicle.
• Three regions of the roadside are important to safety: the top of the slope (hinge point),
the foreslope, and the toe of the slope (intersection of the foreslope with level ground or
with a backslope, forming a ditch).
• Flat and well-rounded sideslopes simplify the establishment of turf and its subsequent
maintenance.
• With some types of soils, it is essential for stability that slopes be reasonably flat.

NORMAL CROWN SECTIONS

• In areas where an errant vehicle may tend to encroach the roadside, it is desirable to
provide rounding at the intersection of slope planes. Rounding of all slope intersections
also improves appearance and simplifies maintenance.
SUPERELEVATED SECTIONS
• Superelevation is advantageous for traffic operations on less developed arterials, as well
as for rural highways and urban freeways; however, in built-up areas, the combination of
wide pavements, proximity of adjacent development, control of cross slope and profile
for drainage, frequency of cross streets, and other urban features combine to make
superelevation impractical or undesirable.