How to Dig a Ditch for a Driveway Culvert

Digging a drainage ditch for your driveway will help prevent water from flooding it. A drainage ditch fitted with a culvert can also prevent water from leaking into your house. This will help help retard the development of mold and mildew. Before you dig, select a location for your driveway culvert that allows water to run downhill and away from your property, and obtain all necessary construction permits.

Digging bar
Gravel
Backhoe
Tamping rod

Instructions

- 1
  Dig out with a shovel or backhoe the area in which you intend to place the culvert. The depth of the hole should measure roughly two times the diameter of the culvert pipe. The length of the hole should measure the lesser of the length of the culvert or the width of your driveway.
- 2
  Slope the ditch at either a 3- or 4-degree angle by digging further down into one side of the ditch. This helps the water flow away from your property.
- 3
  Fill the hole with a few inches of gravel in order to provide proper drainage and a level surface for the culvert.
- 4
  Lower the culvert into the ditch with specialized equipment or have a few friends help you place the culvert into the hole. Do not drop the culvert while installing it or you may crack the concrete.
- 5
  Fill in the space on top of and around the sides of the culvert with gravel until the gravel is flush with the rest of your driveway.
- 6
  Pack the gravel tightly with a tamping rod because weather and heavy vehicles will compact the gravel, resulting in an uneven grade. After packing, even the gravel with the rest of the driveway with a rake or shovel.
- 7
  Clean up loose gravel that falls inside the culvert. Gravel can trap debris and cause water to dam up in the ditch.

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