Protecting curbs from snow plows

[TGLG]

I am working on plans for a trucking facility. Given the large paved area, snow removal and storage will be a concern. We have some unpaved areas available to store snow, but the concern is getting it there without destroying the curbs.
We are anticipating the plows pushing snow across the parking field and over the curb onto the grass, but it seems likely that the plows will strike the curb as they will be running perpendicular to it.

Reflectors on stakes to show the plow driver where the curb is located are a good idea, but may just get buried.

One of my co-workers suggested moving the curb out a few feet from head of the parking stalls, to create a snow storage area on the pavement, but I think that this just moves the problem a few feet without solving it.

I was thinking about doing a mountable curb so that if the plow blade does catch it, it will ride up and over without destroying the curb.

Do we have any readers here from the snowy north who can offer suggestions?

 

[Twinkie]

What is your climate/annual snowfall amount?

I've never seen anything other than stakes at curb returns, etc. These typically stand over 2 feet high. Do you get more snow than that regularly?

What do your neighbors do?

 

[PersonalProfile]

I have no fist hand experience, though in mining, to protect concrete sumps (when they are cleaned via loaders etc) rail, slightly proud, is embedded into the concrete (such that the bucket - and maybe plough, engage the rail in lieu of chipping out the concrete).
Maybe this is of use.

Regards,
Lyle

 

[LincolnPE]

Can you remove the curb and implement a more environmental friendly, LEED type of design where the runoff from the parking lot sheet flows off into perimeter vegetated swales? This provides scrubbing of sediment, grease, and oils from the parking lot runoff, and solves the curb destruction problem due to plowing in winter.

 

[cvg]

stakes and a properly detailed mountable curb should be just fine. make sure the stakes are tall enough and maintained well. If this does not work, you need to hire more careful operators. Also, plows should not go over the curb, you should use loaders for that operation. the plows should run parallel to the curb.

 

[civilman72]

Can you consider a grass-lined swale in place of the curb and gutter, specifically when adjacent to the snow storage areas? I avoid c&g whenever possible for the exact reason you are concerned about: snowplows will eventually damage it (unless the owner is lucky enough to hire a great blade-hand for 20-30 years).

You really need to consider the actual snow plow operations and if the snow storage areas are realistic. I see a lot engineers designate snow storage areas on a plan but they obviously don't think through the actual snow removal operations. For example, don't expect a snow plow guy to be able to magically put snow behind parking stalls or where there is proposed vegetation (trees/shrubs, etc.). The location you may want to place the snow storage may not be feasible from a operations standpoint; where you think they will be pushing over the c&g (perpendicular) they may find it more efficient to be blading parallel to the c&g. If you can place snow storage areas in realistic locations, there is a much better chance the actual snow operations will take place in the manner which you originally intended.

It would be helpful to know your average annual snowfall and rainfall. As an example, in areas with significant snow fall the snow storage areas are large and usually require access by snow removal equipment, so that not only means the blade/bucket will be close to the c&g, but the equipment actually has to drive over the c&g to properly maintain the s.s. area. In this case, you definitely need mountable c&g with additional reinforcement behind it to avoid overturning. The owner should still anticipate more damage to this c&g than in other areas.

 

[TGLG]

Thanks for the input, everyone.

The site is on Long Island, NY, which supposedly gets 31 inches of snow annually, but it seems lately that we're getting quite a bit more than that, and individual storms have been than usual. The first storm of the year dropped over a foot of snow on us.

We will have vegetated swales behind the curb, to prevent runoff from the hillside behind the curb and from the snow storage areas from running onto the pavement, but the topo of the site prevents us from running sheet flow across the pavement into the swales (the site is sort of terraced into a hillside, with the truck yard on the uphill side).

I think we're going to go with a mountable curb, with rebar in it, and maybe even make it wider than normal to prevent overturning.

 

[LincolnPE]

Oh..you like spending the client's money

Reinforced... Widened curb = expensive. I suggest doing your due diligence as an engineer, spend some design time and figure out the grading for the client. It will be less expensive and maintenance intensive for the client.

On parking lots you can also implement inverted crown grading techniques with pans to convey runoff off the parking surface, therefore again not needing curb.

 

[civilman72]

That's not enough snow to require equipment to maneuver in the snow storage area, so access over the curb should not be necessary and a mountable curb may be overkill.

As stated previously, only put curb/gutter in locations where it is absolutely necessary. If you need the curb/gutter for a tire stop (in a parking spot or in a truck drive lane) then mountable will not work.

 

[TGLG]

Of course we don't like spending money unnecessarily. Site constraints limit what is possible to do by grading, and a curb is required by the municipality, so there's no getting around that. The point of the current discussion is how to save money on maintenance by building a curb that will survive.

We don't really intend for snow removal equipment to run over the curb and drive around in the snow storage area. We just don't want the curb getting wrecked when the plow runs toward it.