Accessible Ramps - 2% Slope In Any Direction
Accessible Ramps - 2% Slope In Any Direction
(OP)
I've never really had a solid conviction on this, so I though that I'd get some opinions from some other site/civil folks working in the USA (or anywhere else, for that matter)...
ADA Standards and various building codes state that ramp landings shall not have a slope steeper that 2-percent in any direction. Accessible parking spaces also have similar wording. So, my question is this: Does that mean that the (two) cross slopes can be no greater than 2-percent, or does this really mean no greater than 2-percent in any direction? For a number of years now, I have taken a conservative approach and tried to design my ramp landings (or accessible parking spaces) so that the hypotenuse, if you will, of the cross slopes is a maximum of 2-percent (e.g. a 1.4-percent cross slope in either direction). There are times, however, when it sure would be nice to squeeze a little more elevation out of my designs.
How do others handle this? Thanks in advance.
ADA Standards and various building codes state that ramp landings shall not have a slope steeper that 2-percent in any direction. Accessible parking spaces also have similar wording. So, my question is this: Does that mean that the (two) cross slopes can be no greater than 2-percent, or does this really mean no greater than 2-percent in any direction? For a number of years now, I have taken a conservative approach and tried to design my ramp landings (or accessible parking spaces) so that the hypotenuse, if you will, of the cross slopes is a maximum of 2-percent (e.g. a 1.4-percent cross slope in either direction). There are times, however, when it sure would be nice to squeeze a little more elevation out of my designs.
How do others handle this? Thanks in advance.





RE: Accessible Ramps - 2% Slope In Any Direction
RE: Accessible Ramps - 2% Slope In Any Direction
Promotes birdbaths --> failing asphalt, but there is generally no flexibility in the code.
RE: Accessible Ramps - 2% Slope In Any Direction
RE: Accessible Ramps - 2% Slope In Any Direction
TTFN
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
[IMG http://tinyurl.com/7ofakss]
Need help writing a question or understanding a reply? forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers
Of course I can. I can do anything. I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
There is a homework forum hosted by engineering.com: http://www.engineering.com/AskForum/aff/32.aspx
RE: Accessible Ramps - 2% Slope In Any Direction
Use concrete for the spaces to mitigate ponding.
RE: Accessible Ramps - 2% Slope In Any Direction
A laser level can be laid in any direction to check the slope, not just N/S E/W.
Nate the Great
www.ceieng.com
RE: Accessible Ramps - 2% Slope In Any Direction
RE: Accessible Ramps - 2% Slope In Any Direction
RE: Accessible Ramps - 2% Slope In Any Direction
RE: Accessible Ramps - 2% Slope In Any Direction
RE: Accessible Ramps - 2% Slope In Any Direction
The thing I can't stand is redoing a crosswalk ramp at the bottom of a steep sidewalk. The end result around here can be a more steep ramp.
B+W Engineering and Design | Los Angeles Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer http://bwengr.com
RE: Accessible Ramps - 2% Slope In Any Direction
The 2% in all directions only applies to landings and parking spaces.
RE: Accessible Ramps - 2% Slope In Any Direction
B+W Engineering and Design | Los Angeles Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer http://bwengr.com
RE: Accessible Ramps - 2% Slope In Any Direction
One of the things that precipitated this thread was that I was designing a parallel curb ramp for a sidewalk adjacent to a school access road - a road not in the public right-of-way. The FHWA publication entitled "Designing Sidewalks and Trails for Access" states that "the installed slope of the gutter around the base of the curb ramp should be a minimum of 0.5 percent" since poor drainage at the bottom of a curb ramp is inconvenient and can result in the accumulation of debris or (in cold-weather locations) slush and ice. The same publication also states that the drainage slope of the gutter (i.e. the slope parallel to the curb and roadway) should not exceed 2 percent, and has several illustrations that depict the landing of a parallel curb ramp sloping towards the street at 2 percent. Putting two and two together (or, should I say, 2 percent and 2 percent), this would mean that the maximum slope of the landing in any direction would actually be 2.8 percent.
Now, I know that this is a curb ramp and not an accessible parking space or a ramp leading into a building. But the same drainage challenges exist for those situations and it just seems that, from a "big picture" perspective, the intent of the code for ramp landings and accessible parking spaces would mean that the cross-slopes can be no greater than 2 percent. Unfortunately, I fear that many inspectors would not be so broad-minded; hence the dilemma...