Drive Way Cut Grade

Driveway grading which sometimes is called a drive cut can be a big job on this page we are going to try to explain what a drive way cut is and what it will take to do. Before we can begin, there are a few things we will have to know and do. Lets start with calling no cuts to come out and locate all underground cable television, power, water and sewer lines. Calling locates will save us a lot of time trying to find them on our own and not to cut any, its also the law. Well enough with that now we need to get a current set of drainage/landscape plans which will show the lay out for the driveway. (See Fig.11.1 below) our plan here does not show the landscaping but the drive way lay out is usually best seen on the landscaping plans.

Do not get confused with the job site set of prints I have seen many drainage/landscape plans change eight or nine times during the course of construction. Ok now we need to know what kind of drive is going in, here in south Florida we have concrete, brick pavers, stone, shell and asphalt driveways we see more brick pavers used than any other kind. We will use a different technique for each of the materials used. Most drives using concrete will be constructed with four inches of concrete over compacted fill dirt. Brick pavers, stone and asphalt will have a four to six inch layer of base rock as a sub grade material to give it the strength for the traffic its going to see over its life. Brick pavers will also have a one-inch layer of screenings on the top of the base rock. (See Fig.11.2 below)

All right now that we have our driveway laid out and cut to the right depth lets move on to the front swell or the right of way. Our driveway does not need a culvert and will only have a slight swell. Looking at figure 11.3 below you will see the center of the swell is seven and one half feet in from the edge of the street and pitches from right to left. We know this by reading the right of way plan it shows a blue pin on the edge of the road this is our benchmark this will be 100.00. The plan calls for the left property line to be at 99.75 you minus this from the benchmark witch is 100.00 and you get 00.25 this mean the swell at the left property line is 00.25 feet below the benchmark. Now we need to shoot some grades and mark some stakes our operators would be using a laser level for this and I will be covering that later in anther section. The right of way plan shows the driveway being eighteen feet wide this is just a standard size our drive will be much wider.

Keep in mind our driveway has a swell and a right away plan not all driveways call for a swell.

Installation of culverts and site drainage will be covered on anther page.



Please keep in mind that we are from southwest Florida. So many methods and techniques described here will be from our experience working in Florida. Also equipment used. And are by know means the only way to do things.

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Thanks excavating 101 is written by Steven Chase.