The edge of a parking lot is where drainage begins. Slipform machines pour long continuous runs fast and true; hand-formed sections handle transitions, curves, and drop-curbs. Gatineau Concrete builds curb and gutter to your engineer's cross-section and slope, ties into city streets cleanly, and confirms every drainage path works before we leave the site.
Curb and gutter work together as a single drainage system. The gutter pan slopes toward catch basins, the curb face keeps vehicles from driving onto the surface, and the joint between them is sealed so water flows where it's supposed to go. Without slope, the gutter becomes a pond; with proper slope and no obstructions, every storm drains cleanly.
Long straight runs are poured with a slipform paver, which moves at a steady pace and holds the cross-section and slope consistently. Intersections, drop-curbs, curves, and transitions to adjacent pavement are hand-formed by our crew, then tied seamlessly into the slipform sections. The result is one continuous edge that looks and functions as a single pour.
This work connects to our broader parking lot concrete services, and often ties into commercial sidewalk work at property lines. When curb fails, we handle it through our parking lot repair program, cutting out the bad section and re-pouring it to match.
Recent work
The sequence
How We Build Curb & Gutter in Gatineau
Survey and stake the line
The curb line is set from the property survey and drainage plan. Elevations are marked at every catch basin, transition, and slope change. The surveyor confirms the staking before any equipment moves.
Excavate and compact base
The subgrade is dug to depth, compacted with a plate, gravel base is laid and compacted again, and the surface is brought to the elevation where the concrete pour will start.
Slipform the long runs
The slipform paver is set to the engineered cross-section and slope, then moves along the line at a steady pace, laying concrete to the exact profile. The machine holds the slope even on slight grade changes.
Hand-form and detail
Transitions, intersections, drop-curbs, and curves are formed by hand and tied into the slipform sections. Control joints are tooled at the engineered spacing, and the concrete is protected during cure.
The critical detail
Slope Failure Means Ponding Every Spring
A gutter without slope is a trough that holds water. Every freeze-thaw cycle breaks the concrete, and every spring melt leaves standing water that accelerates deterioration. We monitor slope during the pour, not just at the final elevation, because a slipform machine that drifts even slightly creates low spots that fail within years.
The curb also has to meet the parking lot slab flush, tie into any city street at the correct elevation, and coordinate with ADA ramp details so curb cuts are flush and compliant. We work from the engineer's cross-section and confirm every dimension before the concrete sets. Our parking lot work includes this coordination as standard, and we verify the tie-in with the city inspector where required.
Slipform vs hand-formed, slope specs, city tie-ins and what curb actually does.
Both, depending on the run. Long continuous runs are slipformed for speed and consistency; transitions, intersections, drop-curbs and curves are hand-formed where the machine cannot work. Most lots get both techniques in the same project.
Surveyed at staking, monitored during the pour (slipform machines lose slope if they catch on irregularities), and verified after cure. A pan without slope holds water; we never leave one without confirming the drainage path actually works.
Yes, where the project includes a city tie-in, the curb is poured to the city's spec at that transition. We coordinate with the engineer and city inspector on the elevation and cross-section so the tie-in passes inspection.
Yes, isolated sections of failed curb can be cut out and re-poured to match. See parking lot repair for that triage approach; we treat curb damage the same way.
Machine slipform moves quickly; a long lot perimeter can be done in a few days. Hand-formed transitions add time; the full schedule is in the quote so you know how long curb work takes within the larger project.
Client reviews
What Gatineau Operations Say About Their Curb & Gutter
Long slipform run around our entire lot perimeter. Continuous, sharp edges, exact slope to the catch basins. The drainage works perfectly through every melt.
W. N.
Property Manager, Gatineau
★★★★★
Hand-formed transitions at every entrance look like part of the design, not patched-in. They coordinated the curb pour with the asphalt apron so the meeting line is invisible.
Q. L.
Retail Plaza Owner, Ottawa
★★★★★
City tie-in passed inspection first time. They knew the city's spec, poured to it, and the inspector signed off without revisions. Saved real schedule slip.
Z. L.
Industrial Site Manager, Barrhaven
★★★★★
Drop-curbs at every accessible ramp tied in flush. ADA inspector confirmed compliance. The detail work shows; nothing improvised, everything to spec.
Y. E.
Mall Operations, Nepean
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