Road drainage manual

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This manual covers the planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of road drainage infrastructure. It provides the technical reference required for all aspects of hydraulic, road drainage, erosion, environmental and sediment control throughout Queensland.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads has generally agreed to adopt the guidance published in Austroads' Guides to Road Design series as part of national harmonisation. While the Road Drainage Manual remains the primary document, it references and adopts criteria and methodology as published in the Austroads Guide to Road Design.

The video below summarises the September 2019 changes of the manual.

Full copy of the manual

Road drainage manual (3rd edition) (PDF, 6.56 MB) 

Manual available in parts

• Chapter 1: Framework (PDF, 273 KB) 
• Chapter 2: General design requirements (PDF, 507 KB) 
• Chapter 3: Strategic planning and development control (PDF, 289 KB) 
• Chapter 4: Data collection (PDF, 377 KB) 
• Chapter 5: Hydrology (PDF, 949 KB) 
• Chapter 6: Approach to drainage design (PDF, 236 KB) 
• Chapter 7: Environmental consideration and design (PDF, 500 KB) 
• Chapter 8: Open channel design (PDF, 667 KB) 
• Chapter 9: Culvert design (PDF, 1.73 MB) 
• Chapter 10: Floodway design (PDF, 643 KB) 
• Chapter 11: Road surface and subsurface drainage design (PDF, 2.2 MB) 
• Chapter 12: Basins (PDF, 184 KB) 
• Chapter 13: Erosion and sediment control (PDF, 171 KB) 
• Chapter 14: Operation, maintenance and remediation (PDF, 186 KB)

Glossary and references

• Glossary (PDF, 287 KB) 
• References (PDF, 215 KB)

Aquaplaning potential calculation spreadsheet 

• Aquaplaning potential calculation spreadsheet (XLSM, 167 KB)