Precast Concrete Drop Kerb is one type of concrete curb that used on the roadside. Other than constructed on the roadside, it’s used on the pedestrian crossing too. The precast concrete drop kerb is constructed as a slightly slanting slope. When walkway passengers are walking on the walkway, they cross the road and this precast concrete drop kerb makes them easy to cross the road.

How To Construct Precast Concrete Drop Kerb

That’s not difficult to construct these kerb, since the drop kerb is a precast product and it saves a lot of time instead of casting it on the site. Most of the contractors use precast product instead of casting it on the site, because it’s not only saving cost and also times.

1) Earthwork
You have to make sure that the condition of soil is strong enough to support the works on the ground. Otherwise, you can do a soil investigation to test the condition of soil. After that, fill about 200mm thick sub-base.

2) Concrete Base
After the earthwork is done, construct a concrete base to support the drop kerb. Mass concrete can be used to construct the concrete base since the load of the drop kerb is small. The concrete base is a cast-in-situ concrete. The insitu concrete surfaces below ground level shall be coated with road oil to avoid the water flow into the concrete.

3) Drop Kerb
Lay the drop kerb on the concrete base. The drop kerb base have to haunch with Bituminous Double Coat Paint before lay on the concrete base.

4) Pavement & Road Work
After the drop kerb is done, other works like pavement works and road works to be constructed. Pavement works consist of lower roadbase, upper roadbase and wearing course. While road works consist of 200 x 100 x 60mm grey paving blocks in Herringbone Pattern.

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When I was preparing a Bahrain Tender, I saw a lot of different type of concrete curb in the drawings. They had different shape in different situation, and the concrete curb had different name in different situation such as Standard Kerb (Pedestrian Crossing), Standard Upstand Kerb and Standard Kerb Laid Flat. It’s all precast product and it can be constructed in a short time and low cost. I will be explaining all of them in this article.

Type Of Standard Kerb

1) Standard Kerb (Pedestrian Crossing)
Pedestrian crossing kerb will be used when there is a drop occurred on the roadside for Pedestrian Crossing or we called it Zebra Crossing. The depth between the kerb and finished road level is about 25mm thick only, the kerb will be slowly slim down and end up the depth is same with the finished road level. The 250×125 half battered kerb will be used in this situation. It’s a type of dropped curb that used on the pedestrian crossing.

2) Standard Upstand Kerb
Standard Upstand Kerb is a normal type of concrete curb that used on roadside. When there is a Pedestrian Crossing, Standard Upstand Kerb will be joined with the Standard Kerb (Pedestrian Crossing) as what I mentioned above. 250 x 125 Half Battered Kerb will be used. The depth between concrete curb and finished road level is about 150mm thick.

3) Standard Kerb Laid Flat
Standard Kerb Laid Flat is a very wide but thin concrete curb. The depth between concrete curb and finished road level is about 25mm thick only. Same as Standard Kerb (Pedestrian Crossing) and Standard Upstand Kerb, 250 x 125 Half Battered Kerb is used too.

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Recently I saw a concrete curb on the roadside and find out that the concrete curbing is installed with the steel barrier rail. As we can see, the steel barrier rail is installed on the top of concrete road curb, we rarely can see this type of road curb on the roadside because it requires a high cost for the steel barrier rail.

Purpose Of Using Concrete Curbing With Steel Barrier Rail

To construct concrete road curb together with steel barrier rail, it’s costly and rarely we use it. Of course, we still have to use it on certain area because of client’s requirements. Most probably we will use this steel barrier rail on the busy roadside, which means there is a lot of cars and lorries using the road. If there is many cars and lorries using the road, it may hurt the people who walks on the walkway. With that said, the steel barrier rail is to avoid cars and lorries drive onto the walkway and bang the passenger on the walkway, it’s very dangerous.

How To Construct Concrete Road Curb With Steel Barrier Rail

It’s not complicated to construct concrete road curb with steel barrier rail.
1) As usual, you have to just construct the road curb with concrete curbing machines. As you see, this is a cast-in-situ road curb but not a precast road curb, we can determine it from the shape. The photo below is the precast concrete road curb, it comes with smaller piece and in shape.

2) Secondly, install the steel barrier rail. Normally you can get it from steel manufacturer and it comes in shape. So, you just have to make it straight on the top of road curb. As you see at the photo above, there is a few post at the steel barrier rail, you drill with 4 steel screws on the post and attach it on the road curb. The same step for other post until you finish it. You don’t have to use stainless steel because the cost for it will be very high and might burst your budget.

3) That’s it, you have done it and it looks great!

It’s very simply and easy to install the concrete road curb with steel barrier rail, the cost is not high and you can protect the passengers on the walkway. Normally it’s required by your client.

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Concrete Curb is commonly used for roadside, it’s used to avoid flood and also avoid driver and motorist drive onto the walkway and hurt the people on the walkway. There are many type of concrete curb such as basic curb, combined curb and gutter, integral curb, kassel curb, precast curb, landscape curb and etc. Precast concrete curb is commonly used by contractor because it’s easy to construct, save time and cost, minimize the wastage of materials.

Normally concrete curb is used on housing yard or garden, it’s used to decorate our garden or yard. Most probably it’s covering the grass or tree to make it neat, clean and decorative. Few days ago, I saw this when I travel to somewhere, I saw the concrete curb was covering a type of red paver block.

As you see on the photo above, the concrete curb is surrounding the red paver block. There is few simple types of paver block such as interlocking paver, landscape paver and etc. Normally paver block is made from cement, concrete and aggregate. Many people likes to use paver block instead of laying concrete slab because it’s look unique and beautiful, house owner likes to use paver block to decorate their external floor as well. Manufacturer mix it with a few different of colour to make the pavers the look of natural stone, like granite or slate.

Red Paver Block – Made from cement, concrete and aggregate.

This type of concrete curb that surround red paver block is commonly used on the place where people want to make the place look nicer. Normally it’s used on walkway and people might walk on it. This kind of concrete curb with paver block, you can simply get some concrete contractors to construct it, it’s a very small job and most of the concrete contractors can done it well. The mixture of materials and colour must be correct so that the place can be look beautiful and great!

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As I mentioned in my previous article, precast concrete road curb is one type of concrete road curb that manufacturer produces it in various shapes. The precast concrete road curb will be sent to the construction site when there is an usage of precast road curb.

It doesn’t like concrete landscape curb which constructed on the spot at the construction site or we called it “cast-in-site”. Of course, not only concrete landscape curb do have cast-in-situ while normal concrete road curb does have cast-in-situ by using various type of concrete curbing machine.

Why Most Of The Contractors Like To Use Precast Concrete Road Curb?

1) Time Saving
Most of the contractors like to use precast concrete road curb instead of using cast-in-situ method, one of the reasons is time saving. By using precast concrete road curb, it saves a lot of time instead of preparing all the machines, materials and workmanship to construct it on the spot at the site.

Time is everything in construction, contractor is given a time frame to complete the project. With that said, using precast concrete product saves a lot of time. In case contractor not able to complete the task within the time frame, most probably the contractor will be charged a cost by the client, in other word we called it “Liquidated Ascertained Damages” (LAD). To avoid these happen, I would say precast concrete product is one of the suitable and awesome product for concrete contractors.

2) Save Cost
Other than time saving, contractors might be able to save cost as well. In point #1, time is everything in construction, cost can be saved from workmanship. Why cost can be saved from workmanship since the manufacturer has already added this into their prices?

I make an example, let’s say contractor constructs the concrete road curb with cast-in-situ method, for a small tasks, most of the contractor might pay their workers in Day-Work method which mean contractor will pay their worker in day by day basis. In this situation, on one of the working day, that’s a raining day and workers not able to continue their works (Concrete works are not recommended to do on rainy day because the concrete takes time to become strong and stable, the quality of the concrete will be gone). With that said, contractor will be charged for 1 more working day to pay their workers. By using precast concrete road curb, the quality of the concrete can be maintained and workers able to complete the tasks in just a few hours time.

By completing the tasks within the time frame given by client, contractor will be saved and not being charged LAD by client as I mentioned in point #1.

Photos Of Precast Concrete Curb

Precast Concrete Road Curb – Concrete Road Curb is not only used for landscape purpose, but it used to protect the traffic lights and signboards as well. It’s commonly used in many foreign countries too.

Precast Concrete Intermediate Curb – It’s the same type of precast concrete road curb but it’s used in the intermediate of the 2-way carriageways. It’s used to distance the both roadway to avoid accident.

Concrete Grade

Normally the concrete grade used for precast concrete road curb is 20N/mm2. It’s more than enough to maintain it’s strength. The precast concrete road curb is already produce in various shape, you can simply get the information and precast concrete specifications from your local precast concrete product manufacturer.

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