E 530 Driveways

A driveway is generally a strip of land which is used to provide vehicular access from the public street to adjacent property. In conjunction with this use for a particular type of driveway, reference is made to the Driveways Standard Plan (S-440-4). The figures below give the technical aspects of construction and some of the different types of driveway conditions. To facilitate the discussion of driveway design, the various component parts that comprise the driveway are illustrated on these figures as well as defined below.

The Driveway Approach (is that portion of the driveway lying in the public right of way between the curb face or roadway of a public street and the property line thereof and including both apron and side slopes. Except where there is a possibility of a misunderstanding, this Manual will merely use the term “driveway” in place of “driveway approach”.)¹ is the area of a driveway lying in the public right-of-way between the street flow line and the property line, including the apron, side slopes and curb returns with spandrels. That portion of the driveway lying on the abutting property is also referred to as a driveway but may have to be further qualified by the addition or the term “private” or “public”, according to its use.
The Driveway Approach Apron is that portion of the driveway approach, (exclusive of the side slopes or the driveway curb returns, extending from the gutter flow line to the property line.)¹excluding the side slopes and curb returns with spandrels extending from the street flow line to the property line and between the adjoining sidewalk pavements. Since the apron is usually comprised of two distinct rates of slope, that portion confined to the Y distance will be referred to as the “Y Slope”. That portion between the top of the Y slope (normally the front of sidewalk) and the property line will be referred to as the “Sidewalk Area” of the apron.
The Side Slope is that portion of the driveway approach which provides a transition from the normal curb grade to the grade of the apron by means of a sloping surface. The horizontal distance of these side slopes, as measured at the curb line, is referred to as the “X Distance". The side slope is the curb face (zero horizontal distance) where a curb return is used.

In providing satisfactory vehicular access, the designer should follow the City’s driveway design policies and standards. These design criteria will be presented in the following discussions.

Footnotes

¹The text in parenthesis is from the legacy Street Design Manual text and has been superseded by the text that follows.