What is a drainage ditch next to a road called?

Author: Marley Dach  |  Last update: Thursday, November 27, 2025

On country roads, there is usually a drainage ditch on both sides. I've heard them called "bar ditches".

What is the ditch next to a road called?

A bar or borrow ditch is a roadside channel dug for drainage purposes. Typically, the dirt is "borrowed" from the ditch, and used to crown the road.

What is the drainage on the side of the road called?

Ditches or swales are an integral feature of roadside drainage systems critical for controlling road storm water runoff. Where the right-of-way is limited, ditches with deeper and sharper slopes are used.

What is the trench on the side of the road called?

Ditches, those trenches at the side of the road that make you safer. They've got a bad reputation, as reflected in expressions like “drive you into the ditch,” but they are essential elements on our roads and highways because they serve as necessary drainage for rainwater.

What is the technical term for drainage ditch?

Culvert: Pipe or concrete box structure which drains open channels, swales, or ditches under a roadway or embankment typically with no catch basins or manholes along its length. Ditch: a long narrow excavation dug in the earth for drainage of stormwater runoff.

Water Diversion System for Driveways

What is the street drainage called?

A storm drain, storm sewer (United Kingdom, U.S. and Canada), highway drain, surface water drain/sewer (United Kingdom), or stormwater drain (Australia and New Zealand) is infrastructure designed to drain excess rain and ground water from impervious surfaces such as paved streets, car parks, parking lots, footpaths, ...

Why is there a ditch on the side of the road?

Roadside ditches are built when there are natural points where water drains away from the road. Diversion ditches are used when natural drainage points can't be found for long stretches. They may be placed every 300 to 500 feet. Operators may build them at low points where water could be trapped.

What is the verge on the side of the road?

A road verge is a strip of groundcover consisting of grass or garden plants, and sometimes also shrubs and trees, located between a roadway and a sidewalk. Verges are known by dozens of other names such as grass strip, nature strip, curb strip, or park strip, the usage of which is often quite regional.

What is the line on the side of the road called?

The line at the edge of road pavement (in the United States) is officially called an edge line pavement marking. On the right side of the rightmost travel lane, the line will be solid white. On the left side of the leftmost travel lane of a single-direction roadway, the line will be solid yellow: 03.

What is a culvert on the side of the road?

The function of a culvert is to convey water across the highway right-of-way. In addition to this hydraulic function, a culvert should support the loads imposed by the earth cover, highway traffic, and construction equipment. Therefore, culvert design involves both hydraulic and structural design.

What is the drainage thing on the road?

Outlet ditches are drainage structures that lead the water from the side ditches away from the road area. The water from outlet ditches normally discharges to existing waterway systems, such as river channels and lakes.

What is a gutter on the side of the road?

A street gutter is a depression that runs parallel to a road and is designed to collect rainwater that flows along the street diverting it into a storm drain. A gutter alleviates water buildup on a street, allows pedestrians to pass without walking through puddles, and reduces the risk of hydroplaning by road vehicles.

What is a synonym for road ditch?

dike gutter moat trench. Strong matches. canal channel chase cut drain excavation furrow gully mine watercourse.

What is the difference between a drainage ditch and a swale?

Although a swale and drainage ditch may look the same, a ditch is designed solely for conveying drainage water, with no water quality treatment intended. A swale, on the other hand, is typically a regulated and engineered SCM that is credited for treating and conveying stormwater.

Who owns the ditch next to the road?

Public drainage ditches:Drainage ditches that are located in public easements or within public roads and right-of-ways are the responsibility of the local government. Private drainage ditches:Drainage ditches that are located on private property are the responsibility of the property owner.

Who owns Grass Verge next to a road?

In most cases the grass verges beside roads and footways, up to the boundary wall, hedge or fence, are part of the highway. It's our responsibility to maintain the verges, including cutting the grass. We usually delegate this work to the local district or borough council.

What is the verge of path?

the strip of land that borders a road or path: She left her car by the side of the road and walked along the grass verge to the emergency phone.

What is the strip on the side of the road?

A center line rumble strip is a longitudinal safety feature installed at or near the center line of a paved roadway. It is made of a series of milled or raised elements intended to alert inattentive drivers (through vibration and sound) that their vehicles have left the travel lane.

What is a drainage ditch next to a road?

Another purpose of a roadway drainage ditch is to drain water from under the roadway. The base is the foundation for supporting the load of traffic on the asphalt roadway. If water becomes trapped in the base, it weakens the structure of the roadway, leading to premature failure of the roadway.

What is a concrete drainage ditch called?

In essence, a trench drain consists of a large trench that has a drain channel set in place with concrete. This channel can be very narrow or very wide and is usually covered with a heavy metal grate.

What is a trench for water called?

A ditch is a small to moderate trench created to channel water. A ditch can be used for drainage, to drain water from low-lying areas, alongside roadways or fields, or to channel water from a more distant source for plant irrigation.

What is the ditch on the side of the road called?

1950 AmSp 25.165 CO, The ditch by the side of an upgraded road is called 'bar pit,' 'borrow pit,' 'barrow pit,' 'bar ditch,' 'borrow ditch,' 'barrow ditch,' 'grader ditch,' and 'gutter. ' . . The word pit is much more frequent than ditch or gutter.

What is a trench at the road edge where water runs down?

Filter drains are gravel filled trenches that collect and move water. They also treat pollution. The trench is filled with free draining gravel and often has a perforated pipe in the bottom to collect the water. They are widely used to drain roads and are often seen along the edge of main roads.

What are drainage ditches?

A drainage ditch is a depression in the land created to channel water. Drainage ditches are typically formed around low-lying areas, roadsides or fields proximate to a water body or created to channel water from a more distant water source for the purpose of plant irrigation.

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