Drainage
Culvert installation.
A culvert is a cheap pipe that costs a fortune when it is set wrong. Sized to the ditch, laid on grade, bedded properly and backfilled so it stays there.
Sizing
Grade
Bedding
Backfill
Headwalls and ends
Ditch regrade
Most failed culverts were installed an inch out of level.
In this part of Texas the rain arrives all at once, and a driveway culvert is the thing standing between a ditch doing its job and water backing up across your property. The two ways they fail are both installation problems: undersized for the flow, or laid without a consistent fall so silt settles in the belly and the pipe closes itself up.
We size the pipe to the ditch and the drainage area rather than to what is on the truck, set it on grade, bed it so it is supported along the full length, and backfill in compacted lifts so the driveway over the top does not dip in a year.
County and city rules on driveway culverts vary and some require a permit or a specific pipe. We will tell you what we normally see locally, but confirm with your jurisdiction before we order pipe.
Included in the scope
Sizing
Pipe diameter matched to the ditch section and the drainage area, not to whatever is cheapest.
Grade
Laid to a consistent fall so it self-cleans instead of silting up.
Bedding
Supported along the full length so the pipe does not deflect under load.
Backfill
Placed and compacted in lifts, so the driveway over it does not settle into a dip.
Headwalls and ends
Ends finished so the banks do not wash out at the inlet and outlet.
Ditch regrade
Ditch cleaned and regraded either side so the new pipe actually gets the water.
Culvert installation, on real jobs.
Every photograph below is a KGW site. Click any of them to see it full size.
Questions
What people ask before they call.
What size culvert do I need?
It depends on the ditch and how much area drains to it. Eighteen inch is common for a residential driveway around here, but plenty of situations need bigger, and some counties specify the size for you.
Do I need a permit for a driveway culvert?
Often, yes, especially where the ditch is in a county or city right of way. Check with your jurisdiction. Some will also specify pipe material and end treatment.
Tell us about the site.
Two ways in, depending on how far along you are. Either one reaches the office in Crosby, not a call centre.