E 000 General Provisions
E 100 Introduction and General Information
- E 110 Manual References and Sources of Information
- E 120 Definitions
- E 130 Abbreviations
- E 140 Fundamentals of Real Property for Street Design Purposes
- E 150 Legal Liability and Maintenance Responsibility
E 200 General Design of Street Improvement Projects
- E 210 Street Classifications
- E 220 Financing
- E 230 Street Improvement Policies
- E 240 Calculations and Problem Solutions
E 300 Roadway Design Controls and Criteria
- E 310 Traffic Data
- E 320 Design Vehicle Physical Characteristics and Minimum Clearances
- E 330 Speed
- E 340 Highway (Street) Capacity
- E 350 Drainage Controls and Criteria
- E 360 Other Elements Affecting Geometric Design
- E 370 Terrain and Land Development
- E 380 Intersection Grades Controlled by Street Classification
E 400 General Roadway Design Elements
- E 410 Horizontal Alignment
- E 420 Vertical Alignment
- E 430 Combination of Horizontal and Vertical Alignment
- E 440 Sight Distance
E 500 Design Criteria For Special Street Components and Projects
- E 510 Alleys
- E 520 Cul-de-Sacs and Elbow Curves
- E 530 Driveways
- E 540 Grade Separations
- E 550 Intersections At-Grade
- E 580 Private Streets
- E 590 Access Ramps (formerly E 532)
E 600 Cross-Section Elements
- E 610 Streets
- E 620 Pavements
- E 630 Curbs and Gutters
- E 640 Concrete Gutters
- E 650 Borders
- E 660 Medians
- E 670 Retaining Walls and Bulkheads
- E 680 Side Slopes
- E 690 Traffic Guides and Barrier Installations
E 700 New Project Construction
- E 710 Construction Control
- E 720 Bid Document
- E 730 Changes In Documents
- E 740 Final Inspection

E 682 Benches and Terraces

Revised on 10-14-2024

The main function of benches and terraces is to intercept water flowing down the side slopes and divert it by means of a drainage disposal system. This considerably reduces the volume and velocity of the water hitting the lowest level or bottom of the slope as well as the scouring and erosion of the side slopes. Benches and terraces are also used on side slopes to break up the high cuts and fills into smaller sections. If a section of the side slope starts sliding, it may terminate at the next bench or terrace immediately below, rather than continuing down to the bottom and possibly creating an avalanche and a collapse of the entire cut or fill section.

The need for benches and the design of their widths and vertical spacing should be determined only after an adequate soil investigation. In general, horizontal benches 10 feet in width should be constructed on cut and fill slopes at vertical intervals of not more than 25 feet.