Norfolk, VA
Curb and gutter in Norfolk and Hampton Roads
Curb and gutter is where flatwork stops being about a surface and starts being about water. A gutter line that holds water is a callback no matter how good the finish looks, so line and grade come before anything else on this work.
Line, grade and where the water goes
The whole purpose of a gutter is to move water to somewhere it is supposed to go. That means the finished gutter line has to fall continuously toward an inlet, with no flat spot and no reverse anywhere along the run. A quarter of an inch in the wrong place over a long run is enough to leave standing water.
That gets established before any concrete is ordered. The inlet elevations are the fixed points, the run between them is set to fall consistently, and the forms are built to those elevations and checked rather than eyeballed off the adjacent pavement. Existing pavement is very often not where a drawing says it is.
Standing water in a gutter is not only an appearance problem. It holds debris, it works at the joint between the gutter and the pavement, and in a freeze it does real damage. It is also the single most visible defect on this kind of work, which is why grade gets the attention it does.
Straight runs, radii and returns
A curb run is rarely all straight. Radii at corners, returns at entrances, transitions where curb height changes and tie ins to existing sections are all part of the scope, and they are the parts that take the time.
Radii get formed to the radius on the drawing. A curve built by faceting short straight forms together reads as faceted once it is poured and stays that way, so the forming is what determines whether a radius looks right.
Transitions are where a full height curb steps down toward a drive entrance or a ramp. The rate at which it steps down is usually specified, and it has to land exactly at the right elevation where it meets the entrance. Those are the details estimators ask about, and they are the ones worth getting on the drawing before the pour.
Forming and placing
Curb is formed to the run, the radius and the room the site gives. A long clean run is different work from a short section between two existing pieces on a tight site, and the approach follows the site rather than the other way around.
Forms get braced to hold against the pressure of the pour. Curb has a lot of concrete in a narrow section and the pressure at the bottom of a form is real, so a form that moves during the pour produces a bulge that stays there.
Reinforcement goes in where the detail calls for it, and joints are placed on the specified interval so the run cracks at the joints rather than between them. Tooling and finishing follow the standard detail for the job.
Tying into existing work
Most curb work connects at both ends to curb that is already there, and the existing sections are rarely at the elevation the drawings assume. The tie in gets measured on the ground and the joint gets placed where it will not telegraph.
Where an existing section has to come out first, it gets cut to a clean line at a joint rather than broken to a ragged edge, and the subgrade underneath gets corrected at the same time. Most curb that has failed failed because of what was under it, so a new section placed on the same ground goes the same way.
Questions
Common questions
Do you take curb and gutter as a standalone scope?
Yes. Standalone curb and gutter packages are core work, as are curb scopes that sit inside a larger site concrete package. Send the plan sheets showing the curb and the inlet elevations and the scope can be priced properly.
Why does water stand in my gutter line?
Almost always a grade problem, either a flat spot or a short reverse somewhere in the run. It is rarely fixable by patching the surface, since the elevations are what is wrong. Establishing the correct fall and rebuilding the affected length is the honest answer.
Can you form radii and returns?
Yes. Radii, returns, transitions and height changes are a normal part of a curb scope and they are where most of the forming time goes. A radius formed as short straight sections reads as faceted once poured, so the forming decides the result.
Do you replace existing curb sections?
Yes. The failed section is cut to a clean line at a joint rather than broken out, the subgrade underneath is corrected, and the new work ties back to the existing at the right elevation on both ends.
What length of curb scope do you take?
Short sections between two existing pieces through to full runs on a site package. A short tie in on a tight site and a long clean run are different jobs to build, so the length and the access both change the number and are worth stating in the scope.
What do you need to price a curb scope?
The plan sheets showing the curb, the inlet or outfall elevations, the standard detail that applies, and the length by type. Whether existing curb has to come out first changes the number, so that is worth stating in the scope.
Tell us what you are looking at
Call, or send it through the form with the location. Either reaches the same person.