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) 

Manual available in parts

• Chapter 1: Framework 
• Chapter 2: General design requirements 
• Chapter 3: Strategic planning and development control 
• Chapter 4: Data collection 
• Chapter 5: Hydrology 
• Chapter 6: Approach to drainage design 
• Chapter 7: Environmental consideration and design 
• Chapter 8: Open channel design 
• Chapter 9: Culvert design 
• Chapter 10: Floodway design 
• Chapter 11: Road surface and subsurface drainage design 
• Chapter 12: Basins 
• Chapter 13: Erosion and sediment control 
• Chapter 14: Operation, maintenance and remediation

Glossary and references

• Glossary 
• References

Aquaplaning potential calculation spreadsheet 

• Aquaplaning potential calculation spreadsheet