Surface Water Mitigation for our Highways

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Thursday 25th November, 2021

The very real threat of flood water has an impact on all lives, whether it be to our property, our travel plans, our insurance bills or to the economy, surface water is a danger to all when it is not intercepted, conveyed and discharged by the drainage system.

Road surface water flooding happens when there is too much rain for the drainage system to cope with and while Gene Kelly may have danced through a minor surface water flood in Singing in the Rain, in reality surface water flooding is a hazard to all.

Surface water flooding is a risk to all road users, many of who don’t realise the effort and costs that go into the design and installation of highways in the UK, but its not just the major roads that need safe highway design, it’s all roads.

While we can all blame the weather and the increase in rainfall for flooding, drainage is also important in determining the ability of a given road to withstand the effects of road usage. Bad drainage can cause the premature failure of the roadway which in turn, at worse, can cause loss of life and at best, long delays and detours to road users.

Understanding water and vehicle movement is at the heart of what Highways Engineers do, ensuring optimum water flow clearance, ground water tables and understanding the rate of rutting of vehicle movements ensures safety and increases the resilience of the road, which is turn keeps traffic moving meaning we all get to where we need to go, safely and on time.

Water and highway construction do not make for a marriage, however by specifying the correct drainage mitigates surface water flooding and allows safe passage, meaning we all get home safe.

Using a combined kerb and drainage solution provides an efficient high-flow channel system within the structure of a kerb, so combines the need for surface water mitigation as well as the impact of vehicle movements. It is designed with a zero flow width so there is not a requirement for an allowable build up of surface water on the carriageway.

The Marshalls Beany range of solutions cater for loadings of D400 and E600 depending on traffic conditions and carry the British Standard Kitemarked, certified to BS EN: 1433 making the Beany range a trusted, reliable and highly effective combined kerb and drainage solution.

For more information please visit www.marshalls.co.uk/commercial/civils-and-drainage/combined-kerb-and-drainage-systems

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