How to Grade Roads and Lots for Construction Plans

In this video you will learn how to grade a road, culdesac, and lot in a residential land development project. Throughout the video, there will be pictures and videos to help draw the connection between real life and construction plans.

Below are the list of constraints:

What is the minimum low point the road can be?
In our example: Minimum EOP = DHW25 + 0.5’; Crown = DHW25+0.74’

What is the minimum road slope (longitudinally)? Profile Grade Line (PGL)?
0.35% (REMEMBER, this is 0.0035 ft/ft. TWO ZEROS.

What is the maximum distance between road low points and high points?
Rule of thumb: 300 ft

What is the minimum sideyard slope for a yard?
1% ; this is typical

What is the min / max cross slope of road?
Min 2%, max 3% (typically just call out 2%)

What is the max change in road slope before needing a vertical curve?
Max 1.2% for this type of design speed

What is the min/max sidewalk slope?
2% max

What is the max driveway slope?
8-10% gets steep

What is the max slope for open space areas?
4:1 (or 25%). This means 1 ft vertical for every 4 ft horizontal.

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I'm Griffin — a licensed civil engineer sharing practical insights from land development. I help students and young professionals gain real-world engineering skills that schools don't teach.

Disclaimer:
The content provided in this video is for informational purposes only and is based on my personal experience as a civil engineer. It should not be considered as professional engineering advice or a substitute for consulting with a licensed professional engineer. While I strive to provide accurate and useful information, I make no guarantees regarding the accuracy, applicability, or completeness of the content. Always seek the guidance of a qualified professional for specific engineering projects. I assume no liability for any actions taken or decisions made based on the information provided in this video.