Highways Department: RD/GN/035A February 2020 Research & Development Division

HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT
GUIDANCE NOTES
ON
ROAD PAVEMENT DRAINAGE DESIGN
RD/GN/035A
February 2020
Research & Development Division
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1

2. Background ..................................................................................................................... 1
3. Design Considerations .................................................................................................... 2
3.1 Rainfall Intensity ...................................................................................................... 2
3.2 Serviceability State Considerations .......................................................................... 5
3.3 Climatic Considerations ........................................................................................... 7
3.4 Ultimate State Considerations .................................................................................. 7
3.5 Crossfall .................................................................................................................... 9
3.6 Gully Spacing - Roads at a Gradient Greater Than 0.5% ......................................... 9
3.7 Gully Spacing - Flat or Near Flat Roads at a Gradient not Greater than 0.5% ...... 10
3.8 Design Gully Spacing and Reduction Factors ........................................................ 12
Gully Grating Efficiency ........................................................................................ 12
Blockage by Debris ................................................................................................ 13
Double Gullies........................................................................................................ 14
Edge Drains ............................................................................................................ 14
3.9 Details to Facilitate Entry of Surface Water ........................................................... 16
Kerb Overflow Weirs ............................................................................................. 16
Gullies at Sag Points (Minimum of 4 Gullies) ....................................................... 17
Gullies Immediately Downstream of Moderate or Steep Gradients ...................... 19
3.10 Drainage at Steep Road Junction ............................................................................ 19
3.11 Other Details ........................................................................................................... 20
Footway Drainage .................................................................................................. 20
Pedestrian Crossings .............................................................................................. 20
Continuous Drainage Channel ............................................................................... 21
Gully Pots ............................................................................................................... 21
Y-junction Connection............................................................................................ 21
Flat Channels and Pavement around Gullies.......................................................... 22
3.12 Capacity of Outlet Pipes ......................................................................................... 23
3.13 Design of Pavement Drainage in association with Steep Roads ............................ 24
3.14 Design of Pavement Drainage at Sag Sections of Expressways ............................ 25
4. Design Workflow ........................................................................................................... 26
5. Worked Examples ......................................................................................................... 28
5.1 Example 1 - Gullies in Normal Roads .................................................................... 28
5.2 Example 2 - Gullies in Expressways ...................................................................... 28
5.3 Example 3 - Gullies in flat roads ............................................................................ 29
5.4 Example 4 – Additional catchment area at road junction ....................................... 30
5.5 Example 5 – Outlet pipe for gullies at sag point .................................................... 30
5.6 Example 6 - Gullies in Normal Roads
(Design Rainfall Intensity Other than 147 mm/hr) ............................................... 31
5.7 Example 7 - Gullies in flat roads
(Design Rainfall Intensity Other than 147 mm/hr)................................................. 31
5.8 Example 8 - Gullies at Sag Point in Expressways .................................................. 32
APPENDIX A Design of Pavement Drainage in association with Steep Roads
APPENDIX B Design of Pavement Drainage at Sag Sections of Expressways
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1A Maximum Rainfall Intensities and Flooded Widths for Frequent Storm Events .... 4
Table 1B Maximum Rainfall Intensities and Flooded Widths for Heavy Storm Events
(General Application) .............................................................................................. 4
Table 1C Maximum Rainfall Intensities and Flooded Widths for Heavy Storm Events
in Tai Mo Shan Area ............................................................................................... 4
Table 1D Maximum Rainfall Intensities and Flooded Widths for Heavy Storm Events
in Western Lantau Area ........................................................................................... 5
Table 1E Maximum Rainfall Intensities and Flooded Widths for Heavy Storm Events
in North District Area.............................................................................................. 5
Table 2 Design flooded widths for Normal Roads (roads other than Expressways) ........... 6
Table 3 Minimum Crossfalls................................................................................................ 9
Table 4 Roughness Coefficients for Different Types of Road Surface .............................. 10
Table 5 Reduction Factors for Gully Efficiency ................................................................ 13
Table 6 Reduction Factors for Blockage by Debris ........................................................... 14
Table 7 Maximum Lengths (m) of Edge Drain .................................................................. 15
Table 8 Minimum Rate of Provision of Overflow Weirs ................................................... 17
Table 9 Additional Gullies at Sag Points ........................................................................... 18
Table B1 Storm Constants for 1 in 50 Years Return Period ................................................. 61
LIST OF CHARTS
Design Chart 1A General Calculation of Drained Area (Gradient ≥ 0.5%) .......................... 34

Design Chart 1B Calculation of Drained Area for Hard Shoulder Flows
(Gradient ≥ 0.5%)...................................................................................... 35
Design Chart 2A Gully Spacing (Lo) for Flat Roads (Gradient < 0.5%) .............................. 36
Design Chart 2B Gully Spacing (Lo), Hard Shoulder Flows (Gradient < 0.5%) .................. 37
Design Chart 3 Adjustment Factor, F (Gradient < 0.5%) .................................................. 38
Design Chart 4A R Factor, Flat Roads (Gradient < 0.5%) .................................................... 39
Design Chart 4B R Factor, Hard Shoulder Flows (Gradient < 0.5%) ................................... 40
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Delineation of Rainfall Zones ................................................................................. 3

Figure 2 Typical Gully Spacing for Drained Width of 12m (unadjusted) ........................... 11
Figure 3 Specified Grating Orientation ............................................................................... 12
Figure 4 Additional Catchment Area at Road Junction ....................................................... 19
Figure A1 Flow along the Line of Greatest Slope.................................................................. 51
LIST OF SKETCHES
Sketch No. 1 Edge Drain Details ...................................................................... 41
Sketch No. 2 Connection Unit between Edge Drain and Gully........................ 42
Sketch No. 3 Slot Drain .................................................................................... 43
Sketch No. 4 Kerb Drain................................................................................... 43
HRDMISCMEL-SK0257 Drainage Inlet Across Footway / Verge (Sheet 1 of 4)................ 54
HRDMISCMEL-SK0263 Intermittent Drainage Outlet at Kerb .......................................... 68
HRDMISCMEL-SK0264 Drain Holes through Roadside Barrier........................................ 69
HRDMISCMEL-SK0265 Enlarged Overflow Weir at Concrete Profiles Barrier
- Plan and Sections ...................................................................... 70
HRDMISCMEL-SK0266 Enlarged Overflow Weir at Concrete Profiles Barrier
- Details ....................................................................................... 71
HRDMISCMEL-SK0269 Recommended Cross Sectional Layout at Sag Points to
facilitate Contingency Discharge ................................................ 72
SK/DH/1 Supplementary Drain Holes in Concrete Central Divider .......... 73
Guidance Notes on Road Pavement Drainage Design
1. Introduction
This set of Guidance Notes updates and supersedes RD/GN/035 which was
promulgated in May 2010. It is the standard for road pavement drainage design of
exclusive road drainage, which should only collects runoff from areas of the
concerned road reserves and associated facilities.
2. Background
2.1 The previous version of Guidance Notes 35 was Road Note 61, which was firstly
published in 1983 and was based on the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL)
Report No. LR 2772. An updated version of the Road Note was published in 1994
to include findings obtained from the TRL Reports LR 6023 and CR 24 which
were subsequently replaced by the Advice Note HA 102/00 5 issued by the
Highways Agency of UK. Guidance Notes RD/GN/035 was published in 2010
to include the information and the findings from extensive full scale physical
testing under the collaboration study between the Highways Department and the
Hong Kong Road Research Laboratory of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University
which started in 2005. In 2018, the latest set of the Hong Kong Observatory
rainfall data and rainfall increase due to climate change effects up to the end of
21st century was set out in the SDM(2018)6 published by the Drainage Services
Department (DSD). For design of road drainage, a longer projection year up to
the end of 21st century will be adopted to cater for the more severe situations.
This set of Guidance Note is published to include the latest rainfall data and
considerations for climate change for the design of road pavement drainage to
meet current requirements.
2.2 This new design standard provides:-

a) updated requirement of design flooded widths7 under serviceability state and
1
RN6 : Road Note 6 – Road Pavement Drainage
2
LR277 : Laboratory Report 277 – The Hydraulic Efficiency and Spacing of B.S. Road Gullies
3
LR602 : Laboratory Report 602 – Drainage of Level or nearly Level Roads
4
CR2 : Contractor Report 2 – The Drainage Capacity of BS Road Gullies and a Procedure for Estimating their Spacing
5
HA 102/00 : Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, Volume 4, Section 2, Part 3, HA 102/00 – Spacing of Road Gullies
6 SDM(2018) : Stormwater Drainage Manual, 5th Ed. (2018)
7
Flooded width : The width of water flow measuring from the kerbline to the flow’s outer-edge. This flow of water is designed to be
drained into the drainage system via the gullies
RD/GN/035A Guidance Notes on Road Pavement Drainage Design Page 1 of 73

ultimate state;
b) updated rainfall intensities with considerations of spatial variation and
climate change;
c) updated guidance on provision of multiple gullies at sag points;
d) updated guidance on provision of edge drain;
e) updated design charts;
f) empirical formulae on design charts;
g) additional supplementary guideline on drainage at steep roads; and
h) additional supplementary guideline on provisions at sag sections of
expressways.
The updates are to be in consistent with SDM(2018) in design rainfall intensity
and to include the above supplementary guidelines to Guidance Notes
RD/GN/035.
2.3 Details of the installation of gully assemblies are given in relevant HyD Standard
Drawings. These requirements should be complied with.
3. Design Considerations
3.1 Rainfall Intensity
3.1.1 The drainage system should in principle be designed to accommodate a rainfall

intensity for heavy rainstorms with a probability of 1 in 50 years occurrence to
tally with the design return period for carrier drains. As shown in Tables 1A to
1B below, the rainfall intensity varies significantly following the change in
occurrence probability. Correspondingly different design flooded widths will be
incurred. For design in accordance with this set of Guidance Notes, the design
flooded width on Expressways remains within the hard shoulders (of minimum
width 2.5 metres) even for heavy rainstorms of a probability of occurrence of 1 in
50 years. At serviceability state (section 3.2 refers), if gullies are provided to limit
flooded width to 0.75 metre for Normal Roads8 at the design rainfall intensity of
147 mm/hour, it is expected that the design flooded width will be exceeded not
more than 2 times per year and will not exceed 0.79 metre by 1 time per year
(Table 1A refers). This is considered acceptable in view of the infrequent
occurrence and the 0.75 metre flooded width will not encroach to the wheel track
thus causing water splashing.
3.1.2 At ultimate state (section 3.4 refers), different design rainfall intensities are
applied to Tai Mo Shan area, West Lantau area and North District area (Tables
1C to 1E) to cater for the observed spatial variation of rainfall in Hong Kong.
The area delineation according to SDM(2018) is shown in Figure 1.
8 Normal Roads : Roads other than expressways and expressways with a hard shoulder of less 2.5 metres.

RD/GN/035A
Guidance Notes on Road Pavement Drainage Design
General Application
Figure 1 – Delineation of Rainfall Zones

(adopted from Figure 3 in SDM(2018) )
Page 3 of 73
Storm Maximum Flooded Width
Maximum Intensity Hard Shoulders in
Occurrence Normal Roads
Expressways
2 per year 147 mm/h 0.75 m 1.00 m
1 per year 162 mm/h 0.79 m 1.04 m

Note: Intensities are determined based on rainfall records at HKO rain gauges at HKO Headquarters
(1985-2017), Tai Mo Shan (TMS) (2000-2007 & 2009-2017), Sha Lau Wan (SLW) (1992-1994 & 1997-
2017) and Ta Kwu Leng (TWL) (1986-1991, 1993-1996 & 1998-2017). Peak values amongst the stations
are adopted. The maximum intensities are the peak values in 5 minutes duration plus 13.8% increase for
consideration of climate change for the End of 21st Century scenario (2081-2100).
Table 1A: Maximum Rainfall Intensities and Flooded Widths for Frequent Storm Events

Expressways
1 in 5 years 206 mm/h 0.93 m 1.20 m
1 in 50 years 248 mm/h 0.97 m 1.34 m

Note: The maximum intensities are based on extreme intensities in 5 minutes duration in Table 2a of
SDM (2018) plus 13.8% increase for consideration of climate change for the End of 21st Century scenario
(2081-2100).
Table 1B: Maximum Rainfall Intensities and Flooded Widths for Heavy Storm Events
(General Application)

Expressways
1 in 5 years 238 mm/h 0.96 m 1.27 m
1 in 50 years 335 mm/h 1.16 m 1.67 m

Note: The maximum intensities are based on extreme intensities in 5 minutes duration in Table 2b
(2081-2100).
Table 1C: Maximum Rainfall Intensities and Flooded Widths for Heavy Storm Events
in Tai Mo Shan Area

Expressways
1 in 5 years 234 mm/h 0.96 m 1.27 m
1 in 50 years 318 mm/h 1.13 m 1.67 m

Note: The maximum intensities are based on extreme intensities in 5 minutes duration in Table 2c of
(2081-2100).
Table 1D: Maximum Rainfall Intensities and Flooded Widths for Heavy Storm Events
in West Lantau Area

Expressways
1 in 5 years 183 mm/h 0.90 m 1.18 m
1 in 50 years 246 mm/h 0.97 m 1.34 m

Note: The maximum intensities are based on extreme intensities in 5 minutes duration in Table 2d of
(2081-2100).
Table 1E: Maximum Rainfall Intensities and Flooded Widths for Heavy Storm Events
in North District Area
3.2 Serviceability State Considerations
3.2.1 The spacing of road gullies should be designed so that the flow of water in the
kerb side/ hard shoulder/ marginal strip channel is limited to a maximum
tolerable width (flooded width) commensurate with the function of the road even
under heavy rainfall conditions (to be defined in section 3.4 below). Cost is also a
relevant consideration. It would generally require 2 to 5 times more gullies in
order to reduce the flooded width by 50%. Consequently, a modest improvement
in flow condition would involve significant additional cost. Therefore, the design
flooded width should represent a compromise between the need to restrict water
flowing on the carriageway to acceptable proportions, and the additional costs
associated with higher standards of road drainage.
3.2.2 The principle is to limit the likelihood of water flowing under the wheel paths of
vehicles travelling at high speed, and splashing over footways while travelling at
low speed. In general for flat and near flat Normal Roads, a design flooded
width of 0.75 metre under frequent rainfall condition is adequate. This flooded
width will imply that stormwater will just begin to encroach into the wheel paths

of vehicles, or would be restricted within the marginal strip, if provided.
3.2.3 For Normal Roads with moderate to steep gradients (≥ 0.5%), a smaller flooded
width is desirable. This is because when there is a large quantity of water
flowing in the channel on a steep gradient, any partial blockage of the inlet will
result in a considerable proportion of the flow by-passing the gully. This, in
turn, will increase the loading on the next and subsequent gullies. For this
reason, the maximum design gully spacing shall be limited to 25 metres, and the
design flooded width shall be reduced in accordance with the gradient of the road
(Table 2 refers). The effect of this reduction in design flooded width has been
taken into consideration in the preparation of the Design Chart 1A.
Longitudinal Gradient Design Flooded Width
2% or less 0.75 m
from 2% to 3% transition from 0.75 m to 0.70 m
from 3% to 5% transition from 0.70 m to 0.68 m
from 5% to 7.5% transition from 0.68 m to 0.66 m
more than 7.5% gradually reduce from 0.66 m downwards

Notes: 1. In any circumstance, the maximum gully spacing is limited to 25 metres.
2. Curves in Design Chart 1A are derived from the above design flooded width except
for curves of longitudinal gradient more than 7.5%. Curve of 10% longitudinal
gradient in Design Chart 1A is based on 0.66 m design flooded width.
Table 2: Design flooded widths for Normal Roads (roads other than Expressways)
3.2.4 A larger flooded width can be permitted on the slow lane sides of expressways
where hard shoulder of minimum width of 2.5 metres are provided. The design
flooded width can be increased to 1.0 metre under heavy rainfall conditions,
which will ensure that there is no encroachment onto the adjoining traffic lane.
Again, there is a need to limit the flooded width on expressways with moderate
and steep gradients. In this respect, under no circumstances should gully
spacing exceed 25 metres or drained area9 of gully be larger than 600m2.
3.2.5 Note that a 1.0 metre design flooded width does not apply to those sides of
expressways without a hard shoulder of minimum width 2.5 metres nor to the fast
lane sides where only a marginal strip is provided. In this case, they should be
treated as Normal Roads.
9 Drained area : The effective area of pavement being drained into gully or other drainage inlet facilities.

3.3 Climatic Considerations
3.3.1 To represent a compromise between the need to restrict water flowing on the
carriageway to acceptable proportions, and the additional costs associated with
higher standards of road drainage, the designer should equate heavy rainfall
condition for serviceability state design to be the intensity of a rainstorm (5
minutes or more in duration) having a probability of occurrence of not more than
2 times per year. According to the rainfall data from the Hong Kong
Observatory plus 13.8% increase for consideration of climate change for the End
of 21st Century scenario (2081-2100), this corresponds to an intensity of 147
mm/hour. It should be noted that a rainfall intensity of 147 mm/hour or more
would be such that most motorists would consider it prudent to slow down owing
to lack of visibility.
3.4 Ultimate State Considerations
3.4.1 Under the kerb and gully arrangement when a fixed number of gullies have been
constructed, the flow width and flow height will increase with the rainfall
intensity. If the flow height is too great, the kerb may be overtopped and in
certain situation, the surface water may cause flooding to adjoining land or
properties. This should be avoided even in exceptionally heavy rainstorms.
3.4.2 The purpose of the ultimate state design is to prevent the occurrence of such
overtopping. In this design standard, the ultimate state is taken to be the rainfall
intensity of 248 mm/hour for a 5 minute rainstorm with a probability of
occurrence of 1 in 50 years (Table 1B), unless the drainage system is within Tai
Mo Shan, West Lantau and North District areas as shown in Figure 1 that the
corresponding design rainfall intensity from Tables 1C to 1E should be applied.
To have a further safety margin, a factor of safety of 1.2 is applied to the flow
height under the ultimate state before checking against the available kerb height.
The flow height Hult is therefore given by Equation (1):
H ult  1.2  10  Wult  X fall (1)
where Hult = flow height (mm)

Wult = flooded width at ultimate state (m)
( = 1.34 or 1.67 m for hard shoulders on expressways
according to rainfall zone in Figure 1, or
= 0.97, 1.13 or 1.16 m for Normal Roads edges
according to rainfall zone in Figure 1)
Xfall = crossfall of pavement (%)

3.4.3 This requirement can be satisfied in most cases. In general, the flow height will
exceed the standard kerb height of 125 mm only if the crossfall is more than 7.8%
for hard shoulder flow on expressways or 10.7% on Normal Roads. If the flow
height exceeds the kerb height, the drainage design should be revised. The
flooded width adopted in computation of the flow height should follow the values
in Tables 1B to 1E. For example, if the road drainage system is located in Tai Mo
Shan area, flooded width at ultimate state of 1.67 and 1.16 m should be used and
the maximum allowable crossfall will be 6.2% for hard shoulder flow on
expressways and 9.0% on Normal Roads respectively.
3.4.4 When the limiting flow height is exceeded, either the crossfall or the kerb height
has to be adjusted. Given that these two parameters cannot be adjusted in most
circumstances, the ultimate state requirement can be met by adjusting the gully
spacing (determined by Equation 5) by multiplying it with a reduction factor RFult
given by Equation (2):
H ker b
RFult  (2)
12  Wult  X fall
where RFult = reduction factor for ultimate state

Hkerb = kerb height (mm)
Xfall = crossfall of pavement (%)
Wult = flow width at ultimate state (m)
( = 1.34 or 1.67 m for hard shoulders on expressways
according to rainfall zone in Figure 1, or
= 0.97, 1.13 or 1.16 m for Normal Roads edges
according to rainfall zone in Figure 1)
3.4.5 A kerb height of 125 mm can be assumed at standard dropped kerb crossings as
the footway should have sufficient fall to contain any overtopping within a
localised area. However, in exceptional cases with non-standard dropped kerb
crossings where the footway falls away from the kerb, the actual kerb height
should be used and special attention should be paid in the design to cater for
ultimate state flow.
3.4.6 Where a continuous channel is provided along the edge of the carriageway for
surface drainage, the capacity of the channel should be sufficient to cater for the
ultimate state rainfall intensity.

3.5 Crossfall
3.5.1 Crossfall should be provided on all roads to drain stormwater to the kerb side
channels. On straight lengths of roads, crossfall is usually provided in the form
of camber. On curves, crossfall is usually provided through superelevation.
3.5.2 A slight variation in crossfall will result in a significant effect in gully spacing in
particular on flat sections. As illustrated in Figure 2 (section 3.7.2), an increase
in crossfall from 2.5% to 3.0% can increase gully spacing by about 25%.
Therefore a suitable crossfall should be adopted to avoid having gullies at
unnecessarily close spacings. On roads with moderate or steep gradients
(≥ 0.5%), a suitable crossfall should be provided to ensure surface water flows
obliquely to the kerb side channels rather than longitudinally along the length of
the road. The Transport Planning and Design Manual suggests a standard
crossfall of 2.5%. However, to facilitate surface drainage, a minimum crossfall
shall be provided as given in Table 3, except where required along transitions.
Longitudinal Gradient Minimum Crossfall

1% or less 3%
5% or more 3%
between 1% and 5% 2.5%
Table 3: Minimum Crossfalls
3.6 Gully Spacing - Roads at a Gradient Greater Than 0.5%
3.6.1 The design method adopted is based on CR 2. It is identical to the one in the
1994 version of Road Note 6 and 2010 version of Guidance Notes RD/GN/035.
3.6.2 There are different formulae in CR 2 for the 3 types of gullies below:
a) most upstream gully - the first gully from the crest;

b) terminal gully - the gully at the lowest or sag point;
c) intermediate gully - any gully between a most upstream gully and a terminal
gully.
3.6.3 For simplicity, a single formula (the one for intermediate gullies) is adopted in
this set of Guidance Notes. It would be slightly conservative to use this formula
for most upstream gullies but the effect is minimal. As regards terminal gullies
which collect water from both sides, the gully spacing should be half that

calculated by the formula for intermediate gullies if only one gully is provided at
the sag point. However the recommendation in this set of Guidance Notes to
provide at least 3 gullies at sag points has the effect of removing the need for a
different formula for terminal gullies. The unadjusted gully spacing is given by
Equation (3) below:
 0.01  A
Lu    (3)
 n  W
where Lu = unadjusted gully spacing (m)

n = roughness coefficient (Table 4)
A = drained area10 (m2) (Chart 1A for Normal Roads and Chart
1B for expressways)
W = drained width (m)
3.6.4 This design formula can be directly applied when the section of road under
consideration has a uniform crossfall and longitudinal gradient. For roads with
varying crossfall and/or longitudinal gradient, it is necessary to divide the road
into sections of roughly uniform gradient and crossfall for the purpose of
calculation of gully spacing.
Road Surface n
Concrete without flat channel 0.015
Concrete with flat channel 0.013
Bituminous Wearing Course 0.013
Precast block paving 0.015
Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) Wearing Course and
0.016
Friction Course
Table 4: Roughness Coefficients for Different Types of Road Surface
3.7 Gully Spacing - Flat or Near Flat Roads at a Gradient not Greater than 0.5%
3.7.1 The design method given in CR 2 is not applicable to roads with longitudinal
gradient of less than 0.5% as the flow in the channel will become deeper and the
mode of flow will change from super-critical to sub-critical. The design method
10
Drained width: The average width of the area to be drained. It should include the width of both carriageway and footpath

for flat or near flat roads is based on LR 602. The unadjusted gully spacing is
given by Equation (4) below:
Lu = Lo × [ 1 + F ( R - 1 ) ] (4)
where Lu = unadjusted gully spacing (m)

Lo = gully spacing for roads of zero gradient (m)
(Chart 2A for Normal Roads & Chart 2B for expressways)
F = adjustment factor for different drained widths (Chart 3)
R = multiplication factor for different crossfalls and gradients
(Chart 4A for Normal Roads and Chart 4B for expressways)
3.7.2 Figure 2 illustrates the effect of longitudinal gradient on gully spacing. Note
that there is a discontinuity (kink in the curve) at 0.5% longitudinal gradient
which is the changeover point from one design method to another.
Crossfall
Note: Curves for longitudinal gradient greater than 0.5% are produced from
Design Chart 1A based on method given in CR 2. Curves for
longitudinal gradient not greater than 0.5% are produced from Design
Charts 2A, 3 and 4A based on design method from LR 602.
Figure 2 – Typical Gully Spacing for Drained Width of 12m (unadjusted)

3.8 Design Gully Spacing and Reduction Factors
3.8.1 The design gully spacing is derived by applying reduction factors to the
unadjusted gully spacing determined as described above. There are two
reduction factors, one for gully efficiency and the other for blockage by debris:
L = Lu × (1 - RFgrating) × ( 1 - RFdebris) (5)
where L = design gully spacing (m)

Lu = unadjusted gully spacing (m)
RFgrating = reduction factor for gully efficiency (Table 5)
RFdebris = reduction factor for blockage by debris (Table 6)
Gully Grating Efficiency
3.8.2 The efficiency of road gully depends very much on the efficiency of the gully
grating. Thus, the type of gully grating to be used is an important factor in the
determination of gully spacings. The design charts in this Guidance Notes are
prepared on the basis of the highly efficient double triangular grating (type GA1-
450) installing on gully with the specified grating orientation (Figure 3 refers).
Grating type GA1-450 shall be the standard gully gratings on all at-grade and
elevated roads. Note that installing the gully grating with reversed grating
orientation will have a significant reduction (about 20%) of the efficiency.
Foot Path
Flow Direction
Carriageway
Figure 3 – Specified Grating Orientation

3.8.3 No other grating type shall be used except in particular locations on elevated
roads or cycle tracks where it would be desirable to provide gully openings
smaller than the standard type (despite the fact that more gullies would be
needed). In such exceptional cases grating type GA2-325 can be used. A
reduction factor of 15% shall be applied to the calculated gully spacing to account
for the lower efficiency of grating type GA2-325. The following reduction
factors for gully efficiency are applicable:
Type of Grating RFgrating
GA1-450 0%
GA2-325 15%
Table 5: Reduction Factors for Gully Efficiency
3.8.4 The measured gully efficiency and also the formulae for the calculation of gully
spacing described above are based on the arrangement with single gully
assemblies at each gully location. Note that the provision of double gullies at
every location is in general not cost effective as there is little effect in increasing
gully spacings.
Blockage by Debris
3.8.5 All grating designs are susceptible to blockage by debris, especially for flat
gradients in the urban areas and road sections adjacent to amenity or landscaped
areas. Some allowance should therefore be made in the calculated spacing for
the reduction in discharge. An appropriate reduction factor on the discharge
should be made according to the local conditions. As a general guidance,
reduction factors should be applied in the manner described in the following
table.

Roads / Road Sections RFdebris
Expressways
longitudinal gradient less than 0.5% or near sag points 15%
longitudinal gradient near amenity area 10%
0.5% or more other sections 5%
Normal Roads
longitudinal gradient less than 0.5% 20%
near sag points or blockage
blackspots, e.g. streets with 20%
longitudinal gradient
markets or hawkers
0.5% or more
near amenity area 20%
other sections 15%
Table 6: Reduction Factors for Blockage by Debris
Double Gullies
3.8.6 Although provision of double gullies is in general not cost effective in increasing
gully spacings as mentioned as section 3.8.4, they are considered beneficial in
reducing the severity and the chance of blockage on gully grating by debris.
Therefore, double gullies should be provided at locations suspected to be blocked
by debris easily or at locations with change in gradient as mentioned in section
3.9.8.
Edge Drains
3.8.7 For roads in developed urban area or in prestige area, the design flooded width
may be required to be further reduced to not exceeding 0.5 metre due to particular
reasons. In this case, edge drain may be considered as an auxiliary drainage
facility. In the locations where the surface layer are composed of friction course
(e.g. Expressways), edge drain may be considered to be installed so that the
surface water can be drained into the length of edge drain via the porous surface
layer of the road pavement11.
3.8.8 Edge drains are laid along the kerbside in full length from upstream gully to
downstream gully such that the length of edge drain equals to gully spacing. To
facilitate edge drain construction and further maintenance, edge drain is
recommended to be constructed by pre-cast units. The pre-cast units shall be laid
11
Recommendation from the Report on Low Noise Road Surface by Ulf Sandberg dated 13/3/2008

along the kerbs and follow the road gradient. Details of edge drain in pre-cast unit
are shown in Sketch Nos. 1 and 2.
3.8.9 Although edge drain is efficient to collect surface runoff, it is constrained by its
own drainage capacity which depends on the road gradient only. The maximum
lengths of edge drain based on the dimensions in the reference sketches under
different drained width in associated with the required minimum crossfalls are
tabulated in Table 7 below. Nevertheless, the maximum length shall be limited to
25 metres to facilitate cleansing of the blockage inside the edge drain and to
match with the maximum allowable gully spacing (sections 3.2.3 and 3.2.4 refer).
Road Drained Width

Gradient 5m 6m 7m 8m 9m 10m 11m 12m 13m 14m
0% 14.7 12.5 10.9 9.7 8.8 8.0 7.4 6.8 6.3 5.9
(3.6%) (3.7%) (4.0%) (4.2%) (4.5%) (4.7%) (4.9%) (5.0%) (5.1%) (5.3%)
0.05% 15.8 13.3 11.6 10.2 9.2 8.3 7.6 7.0 6.5 6.1
(3.2%) (3.5%) (3.8%) (4.1%) (4.5%) (4.7%) (4.9%) (5.0%) (5.2%) (5.3%)
0.1% 16.7 14.1 12.2 10.7 9.6 8.7 7.9 7.3 6.8 6.3
(3.1%) (3.4%) (3.9%) (4.2%) (4.4%) (4.7%) (4.9%) (5.2%) (5.3%)
0.2% 18.6 15.5 13.3 11.6 10.4 9.3 8.5 7.8 7.2 6.7
(3.1%) (3.5%) (4.0%) (4.2%) (4.5%) (4.7%) (5.0%)
0.3% 20.2 16.7 14.3 12.5 11.1 9.0 9.0 8.2 7.6 7.0
(3.2%) (3.6%) (4.0%) (4.2%) (4.6%)
0.4% 21.7 17.9 15.3 13.3 11.7 10.5 9.5 8.7 8.0 7.4
(3.3%) (3.6%) (4.0%)
0.5% 23.2 19.1 16.2 14.0 12.4 11.1 10.0 9.1 8.4 7.7
(3.3%)
0.6% 24.6 20.2 17.1 14.8 13.0 11.6 10.5 9.5 8.7 8.1
0.8% 22.2 18.7 16.2 14.2 12.6 11.4 10.3 9.5 8.7
1% 24.1 20.3 17.5 15.3 13.6 12.2 11.1 10.1 9.3
1.5% 24.0 20.5 17.9 15.9 14.2 12.9 11.7 10.8
2% 23.5 20.4 18.0 16.1 14.5 13.2 12.1
3% 23.7 21.1 19.0 17.2 15.8 15.9 14.5
4% 24.3 21.9 19.9 18.3 16.9 15.6
5% Maximum 25m 24.5 22.3 20.4 18.8 17.5
7.5% 23.1 21.4
10%
Notes: 1. The maximum lengths of edge drain are based on the dimensions shown in Sketch Nos. 1 and 2 i.e. the
internal size of the edge drain is 0.11m (H) x 0.08m (W).
2. Length of edge drain equals to gully spacing.
3. The values in brackets are the minimum crossfalls to retain the flooded width not exceeding 0.5 metre.
4. For the maximum lengths below the bold line, the minimum crossfalls in Table 3 are adequate. Hence,
minimum crossfalls have not to be specified in brackets.
Table 7: Maximum Lengths (m) of Edge Drain

3.8.10 When edge drain is provided as auxiliary drainage facility, gully spacing has to
be adjusted accordingly. The higher value between the design gully spacing in
equation (5) and the maximum length of edge drain in Table 7 shall be adopted as
the gully spacing.
3.8.11 Edge drain is not recommended to be provided near landscaped and amenity
areas as it is easily subjected to blockage by fallen leaves. Adequate maintenance
e.g. cleansing by pressure jet has to be carried out to ensure its proper
functioning.
3.8.12 Besides edge drain, other auxiliary drainage facilities such as slot drain (Sketch
No. 3), kerb drain (Sketch No. 4) and other proprietary products can also be
applied in road drainage design as long as sufficient documents are provided to
prove the effectiveness of the design.
3.9 Details to Facilitate Entry of Surface Water
Kerb Overflow Weirs
3.9.1 Kerb overflow weirs serve two functions. Firstly the vertical opening is a kind
of kerb inlet and would provide additional drainage path under normal
circumstances. This is useful in roads with moderate or steep gradient (≥ 0.5%)
where the higher flow velocity enables a certain amount of surface water to by-
pass the gully through the very narrow inner edge of gully assemblies. The
provision of overflow weirs on roads with moderate and steep gradient is
recommended as they remove the inner edges and also provide additional inlet
openings.
3.9.2 The second function is to provide a reserve inlet for surface water in case the
gully grating is obstructed by plastic bags or other debris. The reserve inlets are
necessary on flat roads and sag points, including blockage blackspots, where the
likelihood of debris collecting on gratings and along channels is high. Overflow
weirs shall be provided on roads with longitudinal gradient less than 0.5% or
greater than 5%, or at sag points/blockage blackspots according to Table 8 below.

Minimum Rate of Provision of
Section of Road
Overflow weirs
longitudinal gradient > 7% Every other gully
longitudinal gradient > 5%

Every third gully
but not more than 7%
longitudinal gradient between
No overflow weir
0.5% and 5% inclusive
longitudinal gradient < 0.5% Every third gully
Sag points or blockage

Every gully
blackspots.
Table 8: Minimum Rate of Provision of Overflow Weirs
3.9.3 The drawback of overflow weirs is that they provide yet another passageway for
debris to enter the gully pot which may eventually cause blockage of the gully.
It is therefore important to provide bars across the vertical opening to reduce the
size of the openings and to prevent the entry of large particles. Where provided
on roads with moderate or steep gradient, the bars should be horizontal or parallel
to the length of the weir so as to maintain drainage efficiency. Where provided
on flat roads or sag points, the bars should be vertical as this arrangement is more
effective in preventing entry of debris.
Gullies at Sag Points (Minimum of 4 Gullies)
3.9.4 Sag points could be the trough at the bottom of a hill or locally at bends created
by superelevation. Any surface water not collected by the intermediate gullies
will end up at the sag points. It is therefore important to provide spare gully
capacity at sag points. A minimum of 4 gullies should be provided on all sag
points. The first one collects surface water from one side of the trough, the last
one collects surface water from the other side, and the middle two gullies
provides spare capacity. As mentioned in section 3.9.2, overflow weir should be
provided for each gully.
3.9.5 The catchment area is the road area such that rain falling onto which may end up
at the sag point. For hilly terrain the catchment area of a sag point could be very
large. Note that surface water always follows the line of greatest slope rather
than confined to one side of the carriageway. Hence when there are gullies at
both sides of a road at a sag point, very often the two sets of gullies have
catchment areas quite different in sizes unless the catchment area is a straight

road with camber throughout.
3.9.6 If the catchment area concerned becomes larger, there is a higher chance for a
certain amount of surface run-off bypassing any blocked intermediate gullies and
eventually reaching the sag point. In such circumstances, surface water may
accumulate at the sag point and cause flooding and hazard to traffic. In view of
the serious consequence, it is necessary to provide additional gullies at sag points
to reduce the likelihood of such occurrence. It should be borne in mind,
however, that the key for the proper functioning of the surface drainage system is
the proper maintenance and clearance of blocked gullies rather than the addition
of gullies. The number of additional gullies to be provided at sag points is
affected by:
a) the likelihood of intermediate gullies being blocked on the surface or

internally;
b) the size and layout of the catchment area;
c) the relative importance of the road and the consequence of flooding; and
d) the presence of alternative outlets (perhaps at a slightly higher level).
3.9.7 As a general guideline, additional gullies should be provided at sag points based
on the size of the catchment area in accordance with Table 9 below:
Catchment Area(m2) No. of Gullies at Sag Points
< 600 4
600 - 1,999 4
2,000 - 3,999 5
4,000 - 5,999 6
6,000 – 7,999 7
8,000 - 9,999 8
10,000 - 14,999 9
10 for the first 15,000m2

> 15,000
Plus one for every extra 3,000m2 or less
Note: The capacity of outlet pipes should be assessed to avoid sterilizing the
function of multiple gullies as mentioned in sections 3.12.1 to 3.12.3.
Table 9: Additional Gullies at Sag Points

Gullies Immediately Downstream of Moderate or Steep Gradients
3.9.8 On roads with moderate or steep gradient (≥ 0.5%), surface water follows the line
of greatest slope and flows obliquely towards the kerb side channel. There is no
significant effect on the size of the drained area if it is a constant gradient or a
gradual transition. However, if the road suddenly flattens out, the surface water
bypassing the last gully on the steep section may overload the first few gullies on
the flatter section due to the oblique flow.
3.9.9 Provision should be made to intercept such oblique flow when a road with
moderate or steep gradient flattens out. As a general guide, the first 3 sets of
gullies immediately downstream of a road section of longitudinal gradient 5% or
more should be double gullies rather than single gullies. Also, adjacent gullies
should be located at least one kerb length apart so that the portion of pavement
between them can be properly constructed.
3.10 Drainage at Steep Road Junction
3.10.1 On roads with steep longitudinal gradient, surface runoff follows the gravity and
runs in a diagonal path. When a steep road joins another road at a junction, a
portion of runoff cannot be intercepted by the last gully on the steep road and will
shoot to road junction (Figure 4 refers). Additional drainage load is therefore
carried from the steep road to the road junction and may cause flooding at the
road junction.
Longitudinal
Gradient
Last Gullies
Flow
Crossfall Flow
Additional Additional
Catchment Road Junction
Longitudinal Gradient Gullies
Area
Steep Road
Figure 4 – Additional Catchment Area at Road Junction

3.10.2 To collect the runoff from the additional catchment area, additional drainage has
to be provided at the road junction. For simplification, additional gullies at the
opposite side of the steep road are advised as shown in Figure 4. The guideline
for the provision of the additional gullies is similar to that at sag points as
mentioned in section 3.9.6 and Table 9. Checking for the outlet pipe capacity of
the multiple gullies as mentioned in sections 3.11.8 to 3.11.10 is required. An
example is shown in section 5.4 to illustrate the calculation of the additional
catchment area.
3.10.3 Whenever the designer considers that provision of additional gullies is not
appropriate due to site constraint or other reasons, provision of transverse drain
at the end of the steep road may be considered. In such case, the transverse drain
may be in the form of grated channel with adequate capacity to drain runoff at
the ultimate state (e.g. a rainfall intensity of 248 mm/hour from Table 1B, if the
drainage system is located in Kowloon or Hong Kong Island area).
3.11 Other Details
Footway Drainage
3.11.1 In general footways should have a crossfall towards the kerb to allow surface
water to be collected by the kerb side gullies on the carriageway. The total
width of footway and carriageways should be used in determining the drained
width.
3.11.2 Where the paved area adjacent to the carriageway is very wide, gullies at a very
close spacing along the carriageway may be required. In such case, it may be
more appropriate to provide a separate drainage system for the footway. One
option for footways in rural area with low pedestrian volume is to drain surface
water to separate open or covered channels at the back of the paved area.
Pedestrian Crossings
3.11.3 At pedestrian crossings where there are many pedestrian movements across the
kerb side channel, it is worthwhile to spend extra effort in detailing the position
of gullies to minimise inconvenience to the pedestrians. It is recommended that:
a) no gully should be located within the width of any pedestrian crossings;

b) for roads of longitudinal gradient 0.5% or above, a gully should be located at
the upstream end of all pedestrian crossings; and
c) for roads of longitudinal gradient less than 0.5%, another gully (in addition to
that required under (b)) should be provided at the downstream end.

Continuous Drainage Channel
3.11.4 For wide carriageway roads in flat areas or flood prone areas, gullies would need
to be provided at very close spacing. For example, a flat 4 lane carriageway
with a superelevation of 3% and with both adjacent footways shedding water to a
single kerb side channel or a sag point with a large catchment could require
gullies at a spacing of less than 5m. In such circumstances, drainage by means
of covered continuous channels may be preferable. However, the susceptibility
of damage by vehicles and the maintenance effort required should be considered
thoroughly if continuous channel is proposed to be used.
Gully Pots
3.11.5 Untrapped gullies are preferred to the trapped ones because the latter is more
susceptible to choking. Trapped gullies should be used when there is the
possibility of having sewage discharged into the stormwater drain serving the
gullies.
3.11.6 Precast/preformed gully pots should be used instead of in-situ construction

except in very special cases where physical or other constraints do not allow
their use. The following are some of the advantages of using precast/preformed
gullies:
a) easier to install and maintain;

b) smooth internal finish which allows easy cleansing (debris tends to adhere to
rough in-situ concrete walls); and
c) where outfall trapping is required, the obvious choice is precast trapped gully
pot as it is extremely difficult to build an acceptable trapped gully by in-situ
construction.
Y-junction Connection
3.11.7 Gully outlet pipes should be properly connected to carrier drains in accordance
with the relevant HyD standard drawing. The connection should be formed by
means of either a manhole or a Y-junction/saddle connection fitting wherever
practicable. Connecting an outlet pipe through an opening in an existing drain
shall be avoided as far as practicable. Under extreme circumstances where
connection of gully outlet pipe through an opening in an existing carrier drain is
the only choice, the following measures shall be strictly followed:
a) Detail proposal of the works should be submitted to the department

responsible for the maintenance of the carrier drain for agreement prior to
execution of the works.

b) A short concrete pipe of maximum length 500mm should be used for
connection to carrier drains. Flexible jointing should be adopted for the
gully pipes in these circumstances. The 500mm length restriction is not
required for PVC gully pipes.
c) Opening up of existing carrier drains must be handled with extreme care; over
breaking shall be avoided.
d) The section of the carrier drain at the connection point shall be surrounded by
in-situ concrete of at least 150mm thickness, to a length of not less than
300mm along the carrier drain on each side from the circumference of the
opening. To control cracking, the surrounding concrete should be reinforced.
e) Upon completion of the connection works and final set of the surrounding
concrete, the inside of the existing carrier drain shall be inspected either by
direct visual inspection or by using CCTV to check for imperfections such as
cracks, over breaking, intrusion of surrounding concrete, protrusion of gully
outlet pipe, etc. Defects detected shall be made good either manually or by
means of remote controlled device if necessary. Gully pipe protrusion must
be cut to flush with the internal wall of the carrier drain.
f) Details of the as-built works, checking certificate and CCTV record (for pipes
too small to be entered by inspectors) shall be submitted to the department
responsible for the maintenance of the carrier drain within one month upon
completion of the works for record purpose.
Flat Channels and Pavement around Gullies
3.11.8 Gullies in flexible pavements should be surrounded with bituminous paving

material. The provision of concrete channels in front of kerbline for flexible
pavements should be avoided as far as possible in order to minimize the risk of
stormwater penetrating the interface between concrete channel and flexible
surfacing. Water penetrating into the pavement will weaken the subgrade and
eventually cause premature deterioration of the pavement structure.
3.11.9 Gullies in concrete pavements should be set in small, individual concrete slabs
separated from the main pavement slab by box-out joints. Transverse joints in
concrete pavements should be located with care so that they are either situated at
least 2 metres away or in line with a box-out joint (for contraction joints only).
Gully box-outs shall not be cast against expansion joints.
3.11.10 The brushed finish on flat concrete roads should be omitted in front of kerbs for
a width of 425 mm, which should instead be trowel-finished to form a smooth
channel to aid surface run-off. However, this flat channel should not be
provided on roads with moderate or steep longitudinal gradient (≥ 0.5%) as it
would be more desirable to limit the flow velocity and to remove the potential
hazard of tyre skidding on the smooth concrete surface. It is recommended that

no flat channel should be provided on roads with longitudinal gradient more than
5%.
3.12 Capacity of Outlet Pipes
3.12.1 As recommended in section 3.9.7, a series of gullies may be constructed at a

single sag point to cater for the flow from the respective catchment. Since the
gullies are closely spaced, it is convenient to connect all the gullies into a series
for discharging at a single outlet pipe. However, to avoid sterilizing the function
of multiple gullies, it is necessary to check the capacity of the outlet pipe. As
the drainage system is designed to cater for the ultimate state (i.e. a 5 minute
rainstorm with a probability of occurrence of 1 in 50 years from Tables 1B to 1E
according the rainfall zone in Figure 1), the outlet pipe should therefore have
sufficient capacity to convey the flow intercepted by the gully series under a
rainfall intensity of 248 mm/hour in general application (Table 1B) or other
design rainfall intensities in Tables 1C to 1E.
3.12.2 The capacity of an outlet pipe can be computed by using the Colebrook-White
equation as shown in Equation (6):
 k 1.255 
QP   AP 32 gRS f log  s   (6)
14.8R R 32 gRS f 
where QP = pipe capacity (m3/s)

AP = cross-sectional area of the pipe (m2)
g= gravitational acceleration (m/s2) (the typical value is of 9.81
m/s2)
R= hydraulic radius (m) (= pipe diameter/4)
Sf = slope of the pipe
ks = roughness value of the pipe (m) (the typical values for concrete
pipe and PVC pipe are 0.0006 m (i.e. 0.6 mm) and 0.00006 m
(i.e. 0.06 mm) respectively)
= viscosity of stormwater (m2/s) (the typical value is of 1 x 10-6
m2/s)
3.12.3 For the required flow capacity of the outlet pipe, it can be computed by using
Equation (7):
QG  AI (7)
where QG = required flow capacity of the outlet pipe for the gully series
(m3/s)

A= design drained area of the gully series (m2) (on conservative
side, it may be assumed to be equal to the catchment area as
defined in section 3.9.5)
I= 1 in 50 years rainfall intensity (m/s)
( = 0.000069 m/s (i.e. 248 mm/hr from Table 1B, or
= 0.000093 m/s (i.e. 335 mm/hr from Table 1C, or
= 0.000088 m/s (i.e. 318 mm/hr from Table 1D, or
= 0.000068 m/s (i.e. 246 mm/hr from Table 1E )
In order not to sterilize the function of the gully series, QP must be equal to or
greater than QG.
For a particular material and specific site conditions, QP can only be increased by
enlarging the pipe diameter. If QG evaluated from Equation (7) renders it
necessary to provide an outlet pipe of inconvenient diameter (e.g. diameter
exceeding 300 mm), the designer may wish to provide an additional outlet pipe in
the middle of the series so as to maintain using smaller diameter outlet pipes.
3.13 Design of Pavement Drainage in association with Steep Roads
3.13.1 In general, road drainage system caters for the exclusive road drainage only.
The Design quantity of runoff is calculated based on the area of the concerned
road reserves and associated facilities. However, it is noted that in some cases,
there are unexpected inflow from adjoining catchments into the road areas. The
quantity of unexpected inflow could be much higher than the design capacity of
the road facilities. Subsequently, the un-intercepted runoff gradually converges
and runs down the road rapidly on the pavement. At location where there is an
abrupt drop in gradient, the runoff will accumulate resulting in flooding if the
drainage discharge capacity there is not specially designed to cope with the
situation.
3.13.2 In view of the special behaviour of drainage at steep road, guidelines in

Appendix A provides a general methodology for designer to investigate and
resolve the recurrent flooding problem associated with steep roads. The drainage
assessments for three sample site are shown in Annex A, B and C of this set of
guidance notes.

3.14 Design of Pavement Drainage at Sag Sections of Expressways
3.14.1 Occasional flooding incidents at sag sections of expressways show the transient
inadequacy of prevailing gullies and carrier drains design in tackling the extreme
weather conditions. Closure of an expressway section, even partially and for a
short duration, would induce highly undesirable traffic impact. A set of guidance
is provided in Appendix B to bring in extra provisions in pavement drainage
design, on the top of gullies, to cope with possible hazards due to extreme
rainfall on expressways.

4. Design Workflow
Step 1 - Determine
longitudinal gradient, Glong
drained width, W
crossfall, Xfall
roughness coefficient, n (from Table 4)
Step 2A (Glong >= 0.5%) Step 2B (Glong < 0.5%)
Read drained area, A from Read gully spacing for roads of zero gradient, Lo from
Chart 1A – Normal Roads flow Chart 2A – Normal Roads flow
Chart 1B – hard shoulder flow Chart 2B – hard shoulder flow
Read adjustment factor for different drained width, F from Chart 3
Read multiplication factor for different crossfalls and gradients, R from

Chart 4A – Normal Roads flow
Chart 4B – hard shoulder flow
Step 3A (Glong >= 0.5%) Step 3B (Glong < 0.5%)
Determine unadjusted gully spacing, Lu Determine unadjusted gully spacing, Lu

 0.01  A = Lo × [ 1 + F ( R - 1 ) ] (4)
Lu    (3) Lu
 n  W
Step 4 - Determine design gully spacing, L
L = Lu × (1 - RFgrating) × ( 1 - RFdebris) (5)
where Reduction factor for gully efficiency, RFgrating from Table 5

Reduction factor for blockage by debris RFdebris from Table 6
Step 5 - Check flow height under the ultimate state, Hult
Calculate H ult  1.2  10  Wult  X fall (1)

where flooded width at ultimate state, Wult = 1.34 or 1.67 m for flow on hard shoulder on expressways
= 0.97, 1.13 or 1.16 m for flow on Normal Roads edge
Check against kerb height, Hkerb
If Hult ≤ Hkerb o.k.
If Hult > Hkerb ,
then a) Adjust Hkerb if Hkerb < 150mm; or
b) Adjust design gully spacing by multiplying with a

reduction factor for ultimate state, RFult
H ker b
RFult  (2)
12  Wult  X fall
Step 6 - Related Considerations
a) Provision of edge drain (Table 7)

b) Provision of overflow weirs (Table 8)
c) Additional gullies at sag points (Table 9)
d) Double gullies immediately downstream of 5% or more gradient (section 3.9.9)
e) Location of gullies at pedestrian crossings (section 3.11.3)
f) Design and required flow capacities of outlet pipe (Equation 6 and Equation 7)

Longitudinal Gradient Minimum Crossfall
1% or less 3%
5% or more 3%
between 1% and 5% 2.5%
Table 3: Minimum Crossfalls
Road Surface n
Concrete without flat channel 0.015
Concrete with flat channel 0.013
Bituminous Wearing Course 0.013
Precast block paving 0.015
Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) Wearing Course and
0.016
Friction Course
Table 4: Roughness Coefficients for Different Types of Road Surface
Type of Grating RFgrating

GA1-450 0%
GA2-325 15%
Table 5: Reduction Factors for Gully Efficiency
Roads / Road Sections RFdebris

Expressways
longitudinal gradient less than 0.5% & near sag points 15%
longitudinal gradient near amenity area or rural area 10%
0.5% or more other sections 5%
Normal Roads
longitudinal gradient less than 0.5% 20%
near sag points or blockage
blackspot, e.g. streets with 20%
longitudinal gradient markets or hawkers
0.5% or more near amenity area or rural area 20%
other sections 15%
Table 6: Reduction Factors for Blockage by Debris

5. Worked Examples
Design parameters:
The drainage system is in West Lantau area
Drained width, W = 12.0 m
Crossfall, Xfall = 3.6%
Longitudinal gradient, Glong = 1.5%
Road surface: bituminous wearing course
Kerb height, Hkerb = 125 mm
Blockage problem: not blackspot but near amenity area
Gully type: GA1-450
From Table 4,
Roughness coefficient, n = 0.013
From Design Chart 1A,

Drained area, A = 162 m2
From Equation 3,
Lu = (0.01/0.013) × 162/12
= 10.4 m
From Table 5, RFgrating = 0

From Table 6, RFdebris = 20%
From Equation 5,
L = 10.4 × 1 × 0.80
= 8.3 m
From Table 1D, Wult = 1.13 m

From Equation 1, Hult = 1.2 × 10 × 1.13 × 3.6
= 48.8 mm
< Hkerb = 125 mm o.k.
5.2 Example 2 - Gullies in Expressways
Design parameters:
The drainage system is in North District area
Drained width (total width of carriageway,
hard shoulder and verge), W = 20.0 m
Road surface: friction course
Blockage problem: without amenity area
Gully type: GA1-450

From Table 4, roughness coefficient, n = 0.016
From Design Chart 1B, Drained area, A = 314 m2
From Equation 3,
Lu = (0.01/0.016) × 314/ 20.0
= 9.8 m

From Equation 5, L = 9.8 × 1 × 0.95 = 9.3 m
From Table 1E, Wult = 1.34 m

= 57.9 mm
Design parameters:
The drainage system is in Tai Mo Shan area
Drained width (total width of carriageway and footway), W = 12.0 m
Road surface: concrete (with trowelled smooth roadside flat channel)
Blockage problem: not blackspot
Gully type: GA1-450

Gully spacing for roads of zero gradient, Lo = 6.1 m
From Design Chart 3,
Adjustment factor, F = 0.49
Multiplication factor, R = 1.12
From Equation 4,
Unadjusted gully spacing, Lu
= 6.1 × [1 + 0.49 × (1.12 - 1)]
= 6.5 m

From Equation 5, L = 6.5 × 1 × 0.8

= 5.2 m

From Table 1C, Wult = 1.16 m
= 50.1 mm
If edge drain is provided,

From Table 7, the maximum length of edge drain = 8.7 m > L = 5.2 m
And Xfall = 3.6% > 3.3% o.k
Hence, design gully spacing = 8.7 m
5.4 Example 4 – Additional catchment area at road junction
Design parameters:
Location: Road junction (Figure 4 refers)
Crossfall of steep road = 3%
Longitudinal gradient of steep road = 7.5%
Road width of steep road = 11.7m
Additional catchment area

= 11.7 × (11.7/3 × 7.5) / 2
= 11.7 × 29.25 / 2
= 171 m2
From Table 9,
No. of additional gullies required = 4
5.5 Example 5 – Outlet pipe for gullies at sag point
Design parameters:
The drainage system is in Tai Mo Shan area
Location: Sag point
Catchment area, A = 2,500 m2
Gully type: GA1-450
Outlet pipe type: PVC pipe (typical ks = 0.00006 m)
Pipe diameter = 0.300 m (cross-sectional area, Ap = 0.07069 m2; and
hydraulic radius, R = 0.3/4 = 0.075 m)
Pipe gradient, Sf = 0.1 (i.e. 1:10)
From Table 9,
No. of gullies required = 5
From Equation 7,
Required flow capacity of the outlet pipe for the gully series, QG
= 2,500 × 0.000093
= 0.2325 m3/s

From Equation 6,
Design flow capacity of the outlet pipe, QP
=  0.07069 32  9.81 0.075 0.1 
 0.00006 1.255  1  10 6 
log   
14.8  0.075 0.075  32  9.81  0.075  0.1 
= 0.4108 m3/s
> 0.2325 m3/s o.k.

(Design Rainfall Intensity Other than 147 mm/hr)
Design parameters:
All are identical to those in Example 1, except
Design rainfall intensity at serviceability state, I = 161 mm/hr
(i.e. 10% increase from 147 mm/hr in rainfall due to climate change)

Drained area, A = 162 m2
Adjusted drained area, A = 162 × 147 / 161 = 148 m2
From Equation 3,
Lu = (0.01/0.013) × 148/12
= 9.5 m
From Equation 5,
L = 9.5 × 1 × 0.80
= 7.6 m

= 48.8 mm

(Design Rainfall Intensity Other than 147 mm/hr)
Design parameters:
All are identical to those in Example 3, except
Design rainfall intensity at serviceability state, I = 161 mm/hr
(i.e. 10% increase from 147 mm/hr in rainfall due to climate change)
From the empirical formula in Design Chart 2A,

Gully spacing for roads of zero gradient, Lo
= 497 × [0.75 3 / (161 × 12)] 3/4 × 3.6 23/16
= 5.63 m

From the empirical formula in Design Chart 3,
Adjustment factor, F
= [(147 × 5.43) / (161 × 12)] 7/8
= 0.46 m

Multiplication factor, R = 1.12
From Equation 4,
Unadjusted gully spacing, Lu
= 5.63 × [1 + 0.46 × (1.12 - 1)]
= 5.9 m
From Equation 5, L = 5.9 × 1 × 0.8

= 4.7 m < 5 m
Referring to section 3.11.4, covered continuous channels may be considered.

= 50.1 mm
5.8 Example 8 - Gullies at Sag Point in Expressways
Design parameters:
The drainage system is in West Lantau area
Location: Sag point in Expressway
Catchment area, A = 4,000 m2
Length from the farthest point of the catchment to the sag point, Lo = 100 m
Slope, So = 0.001 (i.e. 1:1000)
Road surface: bituminous wearing course
Gully type: GA1-450
From Equation B1,

Time of concentration, to
= 1.2 ( 0.013 × 100 / 0.0010.5 )0.6
= 11.16 min. > 5 min.
Take rainfall duration, td = to = 11.16 min.
From Table B1, a = 1107.2, b = 13.01 and c = 0.484
From Equation B2,

Extreme mean rainfall intensity, i
= 1107.2 / ( 11.16 + 13.01 )0.484
= 237 mm/hr

From Equation B3,
Design rainfall intensity, I
= 237 × (1+13.8%)
= 270 mm/hr
From Equation B4,

Runoff rate, Q
= 0.278 × 1.0 × 270 × (4000 / 106)
= 0.300 m3/s
Referring to section B3.1.2(f),

For a gully with GA 1-450 double triangular gully grating,
Intake capacity, Qi = 0.11 m3/s
No. of gullies required

= Q / Qi
= 0.300 / 0.11
= 3 (round up to nearest integer)
While from Table 9,

No. gullies required = 6
Hence, 6 nos. of gullies should be provided at the sag point.
Referring to section B3.1.4,

For a 150 mm diameter drain hole on concrete barrier,
Discharge capacity, = 0.023 m3/s
No. of drain holes required

= Q / 0.023
= 0.300 / 0.023
= 14 (round up to nearest integer)
Hence, 14 nos. of drain holes should be provided on the concrete barrier.

Design Chart 1A
General Calculation of Drained Area (Gradient ≥ 0.5%)
Note: Under no circumstances should gully spacing exceed 25m or

10.0
drained area be larger than 400m2
7.5
5.0
4.0
3.0
Longitudinal Gradient (%)

2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
Design rainfall intensity, I for this chart is 147 mm/hr.

When I is other than 147 mm/hr, drained area should be multiplied by 147 .
I

Design Chart 1B
Calculation of Drained Area for Hard Shoulder Flows
(Gradient ≥ 0.5%)
8.0 5.0 3.0 2.0
1.5

1.0
0.5
Design rainfall intensity, I for this chart is 147 mm/hr.

When I is other than 147 mm/hr, drained area should be multiplied by 147 .
I
Note: Under no circumstances should gully spacing exceed 25m or

drained area be larger than 600m2

Design Chart 2A – Gully Spacing (Lo)
for Flat Roads (Gradient < 0.5%)
Where N = Design flooded width (m)

I = Rainfall intensity (mm/hr)
In this chart,
N = 0.75 m and I = 147 mm/hr
Crossfall, Xfall (%)

5.0
4.0
3.0

Design Chart 2B – Gully Spacing (Lo)
Hard Shoulder Flows (Gradient < 0.5%)
Where N = Design flooded width (m)

I = Rainfall intensity (mm/hr)
In this chart,
N = 1.0 m and I = 147 mm/hr

5.0
4.0
3.0

Design Chart 3 – Adjustment Factor, F
(Gradient < 0.5%)
Where I = Rainfall intensity

In this chart, I = 147

Design Chart 4A – R Factor
Flat Roads (Gradient < 0.5%)
5.0

4.0
3.0

Design Chart 4B – R Factor
Hard Shoulder Flows (Gradient < 0.5%)
5.0

4.0
3.0

Sketch No. 1 – Edge Drain Details

Sketch No. 2 – Connection Unit between Edge Drain and Gully

Slot
Footpath
Cover
Kerb Carriageway
Drain
Flow to gully
Sketch No. 3 – Slot Drain
Cover
Kerbline
Footpath
Opening
Carriageway
Drain
Flow to gully
Sketch No. 4 – Kerb Drain

APPENDIX A
Design of Pavement Drainage in association with Steep Roads

A1. Background
A1.1 The following methodology is recommended for design of pavement drainage

in association with steep roads with gradient exceeded 5% and with prominent
recurrent flooding problem. For minor flooding arising from causes such as
local low-lying condition, blockage by debris etc., they should be dealt with by
making reference to the relevant sections in this Guidance Notes.
A2. The Methodology
A2.1 The designers should note that at steep roads, the runoff is in a very dynamic
behavior. Thus the runoff under extreme rainstorm at a location could flow
quickly to another location causing flooding if the resulting location is of
insufficient drainage capacity. In view of that, it is recommended that
designers should consider the drainage design for steep roads in a wider
spectrum with due consideration to the effect of the adjoining areas outside the
road reserve. The assessment could be carried out similar to a simplified
drainage impact assessment. It comprises several key procedures:
(a) Realistically investigate and evaluate the additional lateral and upstream
inflows (if any) into the road area (Steps 1 to 6 below);
(b) With dual consideration of the stormwater received in the road section
and the additional lateral/upstream inflow, check the adequacy of the
existing drainage facilities at critical locations e.g. sag points (sections
3.9.4 to 3.9.7) or junction (section 3.10), particularly at the location
where the road is flattened out (Steps 7 to 8); and
(c) To provide practicable mitigation measures that could be adopted if the
drainage capacity of the existing facilities is found to be inadequate
(Step 9).
Details of which are further elaborated step-by-step in the sections below. The
term “catchment” refers to the area outside the road from which runoff will
flow onto the road area.
A2.2 Step 1 - Catchment Delineation
A2.2.1 Use the topographic information on the 1:1,000 survey maps:

(a) to delineate the rural uphill catchments along the hill ridges and edges of
slopes; and
(b) to delineate the urban catchments along the road boundary.

A2.3 Step 2 - Identification of the Existing Drainage Provisions
A2.3.1 Identify the existing drainage provisions which are intended for the drainage of
the catchment, and the intercepting facilities (if any) at the junction of the
catchment with the road area by reviewing the drainage record plans of DSD
and conducting site inspection.
A2.4 Step 3 - Fine Tuning the Catchment Boundary
A2.4.1 Fine tune the actual boundary of the catchment outside the road from which
runoff will flow onto the road area. It has to assess whether the existing
drainage provisions (identified in Step 2) are adequate to intercept and
discharge the stormwater runoff received in the catchment before they flow
onto the road area, and then demarcate the actual boundary of the catchment.
A2.4.2 The adequacy of the existing drainage provisions should be assessed with due
consideration to avoid over-conservative assumptions. Only the runoff that
cannot be discharged into the designated drainage systems should be
considered and the assumptions should be validated on site as far as practical.
A2.4.3 It is not uncommon that the runoff may run on the sloping pavement only for a
short distance and then exits the road area; their effect is therefore transient.
A2.5 Step 4 - Evaluation of Time of Concentration
A2.5.1 Use the Brandsby William’s Equation to calculate the time of concentration of
individual catchment:
.
. . (A1)
where to = time of concentration (min.)

L= distance of flow path (m)
H= average slope (m per 100 m)
A= catchment area (m2)
A2.5.2 This step is to check whether the time of concentration of individual catchment
is inline with the 5 min. duration design rainfall intensity. It is recommended
that:
(a) For each individual small catchment, the time of concentration may be
less than 5 min. However, as the actual time of concentration to the
critical location of the carrier drain is controlled by the runoff from the

most upstream catchment which in general is longer than 5 min., it is
considered conservative, and for simplicity, to use 5 min. duration
rainfall intensity for calculating the runoff of the catchment; and
(b) For large catchments of which the time of concentration are longer than
5 min., it may be more pragmatic to use the corresponding time of
concentration in calculating the design rainfall intensity (see section
B3.1.2(c) and (d) in Appendix B).
A2.6 Step 5 - Evaluation of Runoff Flowrate
A2.6.1 Use the rainfall intensity for 1 in 50 years to calculate the runoff from
individual catchment by the Rational Method. Climate consideration (see
section 3.3.1) should be included. Details refer to section B3.1.2(e) in
Appendix B).
A2.6.2 For paved catchments, take runoff coefficient, C = 1 that all the rainfall
received in the catchment will become surface runoff. For unpaved area and
natural terrain, adopt C = 0.35 which is the maximum value for steep grassland
(heavy soil). The value of C for different ground conditions is given in
SDM(2018). As most catchments for the purpose of this guidelines are
relatively small, it is considered conservative to adopt C = 0.35.
A2.7 Step 6 - Evaluation of Interception Capacity of the Existing Drainage

Provisions
A2.7.1 Check the interception capacity of the existing drainage provisions at the
catchment egress point. Reference to the drainage record plans of DSD,
supplemented by site surveys if necessary, and this guidance notes should be
made to work out the actual net runoff that flows onto the road area.
A2.8 Step 7 - Assessment of Drainage Capacity of the Existing Drainage Provisions
A2.8.1 Assess the drainage capacity of the existing road drainage provisions and the
carrier drain at critical locations of the road section and review their adequacy:
(a) Adding the additional runoff compiled in Steps 1 to 6 above to the

rainfall received on the corresponding road area, check the adequacy of
the existing road drainage facilities (e.g. gullies, channels etc.) with
reference to this Guidance Notes.
(b) Check the capacity of the existing carrier drain (see section 3.12.2) at

critical locations with reference to the drainage record plans of DSD. It
should be noted that the carrier drain may also convey stormwater runoff
other than the road drainage.
A2.8.2 According to the maintenance responsibility, HyD is responsible for the

exclusive road drains whilst DSD is responsible for the carrier drains if there
drains also convey runoff other than road drainage. Therefore close liaison
between DSD and HyD are required to work out a solution if the existing
carrier drains in question were found to be of insufficient capacity.
A2.8.3 The following Manning’s equation for a triangular section channel could be
used to calculate the flooded width:
⁄
⁄ ⁄
(A2)
where T = flooded width (m)

n = roughness coeffi 4
Sc = crossfall (e.g. 0.03 for 3%)
So = longitudinal gradient (e.g. 0.001 for 0.1%)
A2.8.4 The principle of design of gullies is that the total amount of rainfall on a road
section between two adjacent gullies should be intercepted by the downstream
gully. However, gullies are not efficient to intercept large flow with high
velocity; therefore the un-intercepted inflow will remain on the road and flow
towards the sag point.
A2.8.5 The flow at steep road is of high speed and is generally super-critical. When it
reaches the downstream junction and enters another road of flat gradient, the
flow will slow down and become sub-critical. A hydraulic jump may occur
and the water depth will further increase. It is important to install additional
drainage facilities to intercept that additional inflow at the upstream reach and
direct the runoff to underground drains.
A2.8.6 Provisions recommended in sections 3.9 and 3.10 should be considered. In

addition, the following measures could be adopted to alleviate the flooding
problems in association with steep roads:
(a) Provision of drainage inlet at kerb to divert carriageway runoff via a

channel to the back of footpath is a simple and effective measure to
dissipate the runoff on the carriageway. Details of drainage inlet at kerb
are provided in Sketch Nos. HRDMISCEL – SK0257 to 0260 for
reference. The Designer is required to modify the details as appropriate
to suit the actual site conditions of each individual case.
(b) The rainwater from lot/site adjoining public roads should be intercepted

before they flow on to the road area, and the requirement should be
explicitly stated in the land grant/ engineering conditions as follows:-
(i) For Special Conditions of the lease for private developments,
append statement “Storm-water or rain-water falling or flowing on
to the lot shall not be allowed to flow on to the surface of public
roads” to the relevant clause.
(ii) For the Engineering Conditions of land allocations, append the
statement “Storm-water or rain-water from the site shall not be
allowed to flow on to the surface of public roads” to the relevant
clause.
The purpose is to explicitly state HyD’s requirement that water from the
lot/ site shall not be allowed to flow on to the adjoining public roads.
A2.8.7 In general, the flood water depth at kerb is allowed to reach the kerb height of
125 mm under 1 in 50 years design rainfall (see sections 3.4.1 to 3.4.3). For
typical crossfall of road pavements of 3%, the corresponding flooded width
can reach to about 4 m, which is large and looks like flooding. Besides, for
steep roads, the corresponding flow velocity near kerb can reach to about 4 m/s
or higher for road gradient of 10% or higher.
A2.8.8 For urban roads, the carrier drains are very often not exclusive in handling the
stormwater runoff from road pavements. In those cases, it is recommended to
liaise with DSD to check whether the capacity of the concerned carrier drains
are adequate to handle the stormwater runoff from the concerned road
pavements together with that from the other design catchments of the carrier
drains via the developed mathematical models of DSD.
A2.9 Step 8 - Review on Flooding History
A2.9.1 Review the flooding history and causes of past flooding incidents, and collect
information from competent persons.
A2.10 Step 9 - Provision of Improvement Measures
A2.10.1 Provide practicable improvement measures at suitable locations. For example:
(i) intercepting facilities at runoff egress points of significant catchments;

(ii) enhanced gully systems such as more effective road gully arrangement
(e.g. provision of inlet at kerb or additional overflow weir) and/or
additional gullies;

(iii) on-site roadside flood storage;
(iv) bypass/excess surface runoff diversion/interception plan at upstream; or
(v) transverse drain, etc.
A2.10.2 If feasible, intercepting measures should be installed away from the road
pavement to minimize traffic interruption. When additional drainage measures
to be installed on the road pavement are absolutely necessary, consideration on
minimizing the interruption to traffic during initial construction and
subsequent maintenance is essential. Since traffic at the very upstream of a
road is often less busy than downstream, intercepting measures at the very
upstream should be accorded higher priority.
A3. Points for Special Attention
A3.1 It is very important to realistically delineate the actual catchments in the

drainage assessment (e.g. overflow/un-intercepted runoff from natural stream
course, adjoining lots etc.) because the area of these catchments could be very
significant comparing to the area of the road pavement in question. Proper
intercepting facilities should be provided to prevent this additional inflow from
entering the road area. Discussions amongst relevant parties are required to
work out an effective solution.
A3.2 For roads in built-up or urban areas, subject to site observation, it is reasonable
to assume that the surface runoff from roofs of adjoining buildings are
properly conveyed to the underground drainage system without traversing the
road pavement. Hence, it is suffice to consider only the runoff from the open
area of the adjacent lots if there is no proper intercepting facility.
A3.3 In rural areas or locations with large greening areas nearby, a realistic
judgement and site visit to determine actual extent of the possible additional
catchments are required. Some catchments, though their sizes appeared not
significant, omission of them might lead to overloading of the road drainage
system because the quantity of storm water collected by them could still be
significant comparing to the concerned road area.
A3.4 If possible and under a safe condition, it would be useful to chart the actual
flow of water runoff on site under heavy rainfall so as to design appropriate
mitigation measures.

A3.5 If the area of the additional catchments is small relative to the road area, it is
conservative and pragmatic to assume that all the stormwater runoff from these
additional contribution areas will be discharged onto the adjoining road.
A3.6 An optimum crossfall could facilitate effective flow path for the runoff.
Generally, stormwater on a road flows obliquely toward the kerb along the line
of greatest slope as shown in Figure A1.
Figure A1 – Flow along the Line of Greatest Slope
The longitudinal length of flow path L is given by:
(A3)
where L= Longitudinal length of flow path (m)

W= Road width (m)
So = longitudinal gradient (e.g. 0.001 for 0.1%)
Sc = crossfall (e.g. 0.03 for 3%)
To shorten L, a steeper crossfall should be used for a steep road. Also, a road
with a steeper crossfall will carry more flow for a given flooded width. In
section 3.5.2, it is recommended that the crossfall should be greater than or
equal to 3% for roads with moderate or steep gradients (≥ 0.5%). However, it
should be noted that a too steep crossfall may not be beneficial to driving
comfort and safety.
A3.7 At junction with steep roads, subject to the topographic condition, there might
be additional inflow from the upstream branch roads that is not collected by
their own gullies. This additional volume of discharge, if not expeditiously
intercepted by additional drainage facilities at the junction, will overload the
normal gully provisions (section 3.10 refers).
A3.8 It is noted that in general the capacity of the carrier drains underneath sloping
roads are sufficient due to their sloping gradient. However, extra checking

should be exercised when the gradients of sloping drains are flattened out.
Also some manhole covers might be forced open by the high hydraulic
pressure during extreme rainfall condition which is an indication that the
downstream drain is of insufficient capacity that may require improvement.
A3.9 Additional gullies are required at some special locations where the road
has/will have gradient change, such as the bottom or near the bottom of the
steep road (sections 3.9.8 and 3.9.9 refer).
A3.10 Verge, lay-by and some road widening features could slow down flow as there
is an increase in surface area. Adding gullies at these locations could intercept
the runoff more effectively.
A3.11 The connection pipes of multiple gullies should be checked to ensure that they
are constructed and maintained properly. Connection in series of a large
number of gullies should be avoided as far as possible. If due to site constraint,
it is necessary to connect a gully to another gully instead of directly discharge
to an underground carrier drain or manhole, the capacity of the pipes between
gullies and the discharge pipe from the final gully of the series to the carrier
drain/manhole must be checked (section 3.12 refers).
A3.12 The tidal effect on the trunk drain at the lowest point of the steep roads should
be checked. As locations which are low-lying and tidal effect is significant,
consideration should be given to intercept the runoff at a higher location and
divert it to another location if possible.
A3.13 The maintenance staff should note the importance of proper maintenance of
the drainage system, especially at some watercourse intakes which are
vulnerable to blockage by debris.
A4. Suggested Mitigation Measures
A4.1 It is more effective to intercept the lateral/upstream inflow before it reaches the
road pavement, e.g. for runoff from roadside slopes, surface channels along the
toes are effective intercepting measures.
A4.2 If additional drainage provision on the road pavement is inevitable, priority

should be given on applying the traditional road gully system design because
of its simplicity in application, less disruption to the traffic and easy
maintenance. The design procedures are mentioned in sections 3.1 to 3.10.

A4.3 Channels are more effective than gullies in intercepting surface runoff at
sloping terrain and are recommended to be installed if large amount of surface
runoff is anticipated.
A4.4 It is usually more simple and effective to divert the runoff from the pavement
through a shortest route. Therefore, subject to the provision of adequate
drainage facilities at the back of the footpath, it is preferable to convey the
pavement runoff along the kerb face to the back of the footpath for dissipation
(drainage inlet at kerb in section A2.8.6(a) in Appendix A refers). If there is
such a provision already existing on site, it is recommended to retain such
configuration instead of converting to gullies, unless safety to the public
warrants such alteration.
A4.5 Using multiple gullies, gully gratings of correct flow direction (section 3.8.2)
and addition of kerb overflow weir (sections 3.9.1 to 3.9.3) are cost-effective
means to improve the runoff collection capacity. For steep roads under heavy
rainfall, water overshooting can occur at the gully and provision of a second
gully can improve water interception efficiency. For road sections with
changing crossfall direction, subject to detailed observation of flow pattern on
site, provision of gullies on both sides of the road sections may be required.
A4.6 At steep roads with inadequate crossfall and short bends, the pavement runoff
tends to steer and converge at the corner of the bends. Therefore it is more
effective in providing gullies at these locations to intercept the pavement
runoff.
A4.7 The interception efficiency of the gullies could be increased by enhancing the
cross sectional design of the ribs, slot curvature of gully grating and kerb
overflow weir dimensions, etc. Non-standard gully grating and kerb overflow
weir to enhance interception efficiency can only be applied subject to approval
from HyD.
A4.8 Transverse road drains could be used in special locations where ordinary gully
system cannot cope with the drainage requirement. Due to considerable
disruption to traffic during construction and maintenance, it should be
considered as the last resort.

APPENDIX B
Design of Pavement Drainage at Sag Sections of Expressways

B1 General Principles
B1.1 Road pavement drainage is designed to accommodate rainfall intensity for

heavy rainstorms with a probability of 1 in 50 years occurrence under ultimate
state and twice per year under serviceability state respectively (section 3.1.1
refers). The same design return periods apply to both expressways and normal
roads.
B1.2 Occasional flooding incidents at sag sections of expressways show the

transient inadequacy of prevailing gullies and carrier drains design in tackling
the extreme weather conditions. Closure of an expressway section, even
partially and for a short duration, would induce highly undesirable traffic
impact. It is therefore necessary to bring in extra provisions in pavement
drainage design, on the top of gullies, to cope with possible hazards due to
extreme rainfall on expressways.
B1.3 While designing a contingency discharge system, designers shall as far as

practicable identify and provide an alternative drain path to rather than simply
connecting contingency outlets back to the same carrier drains into which the
principal gully system is discharged.
B1.4 In consideration of information in hand, it is advisable to continue adopting the

storm return periods mentioned in B1.1 for design of pavement drainage. That
said, with the contingency discharge measures stipulated in this set of
guidelines properly implemented, the pavement drainage systems would
become more robust and effective in coping with extreme weather conditions.
In alleviating the risk of road closure due to flooding, such measures also
reduce the chance of any sudden proliferation of kerbside flooding zone during
transient rainstorm of extremely high intensity which would affect the safety
of road traffic.
B2 Applications
B2.1 This set of guidelines intends to stipulate additional design requirements

including, inter alia, contingency discharge measures for pavement drainage at
sag sections of expressways.
B2.2 New drainage design on expressways or retrofitting design for drainage

modification on existing expressways shall take account of this set of
guidelines. If site condition warrants, the principles and recommended
measures of this set of guidelines may also be applied on normal roads.

B2.3 For works contracts already in the implementation stage, the actual scope of
adopting this set of guidelines may be determined with due consideration of
constraints including site geometry, downstream capacity, budget and other
risk factors.
B3 Additional Design Requirements
B3.1 Design Catchment of Gullies and Connection Pipes at Sag Points
B3.1.1 In designing the hydraulic capacity of the discharge pipes and number of
gullies at the sag point of a concave vertical alignment, a conservative
assumption shall be made, where technically feasible, that all upstream gullies
(up to the crests on both ends of the sag section) are blocked so that the gullies
and the discharge system at the sag point are designed to collect all the surface
runoff from upstream.
B3.1.2 The number of gullies to be required at sag points can be determined from the
following approach:
(a) Delineate the catchment which should include the road surface between
crests on either side of the sag point.
(b) Use Yen and Chow’s (1983) Simplified Formula to calculate the time of
concentration:
.
1.2 . (B1)
where to = time of concentration (min.)

Lo = length from the farthest point of the catchment to the
sag point (m)
n = roughness coefficient (Table 4)
So = Slope = [level of farthest crest – level of sag point]/Lo
for simplification
(c) For the calculated time of concentration longer than 5 minutes, adopt the
calculated time of concentration as the design rainstorm duration. For
calculated time of concentration equal to or less than 5 minutes, adopt 5
minutes as the rainstorm duration.
(d) The extreme mean rainfall intensity should be calculated for 1 in 50
years return period by using Equation (B2):
(B2)

where i = extreme mean rainfall intensity (mm/hr)
td = to from Equation (B1) for to > 5 min. or
= 5 min for to  5 min.
a, b, c = storm constants (Table B1) according to rainfall
zone as shown in Figure 1
Rainfall Zone
a b c
(Figure 1)
General Application 451.3 2.46 0.337

Tai Mo Shan Area 1740.1 19.78 0.570
West Lantau Area 1107.2 13.01 0.484
North District Area 1167.6 16.76 0.561
Note: The above values are adopted from Tables 3a to 3d in SDM(2018).
Table B1: Storm Constants for 1 in 50 Years Return Period
Climate consideration as mentioned in section 3.3.1 has to be included in

the design rainfall intensity:
I = i (1+13.8%) (B3)
where I = design rainfall intensity (mm/hr)
i = rainfall intensity (mm/hr) from Equation (B2)
13.8% is the increase for consideration of climate change for
the End of 21st Century scenario (2081-2100) (section 3.3.1
refers)
(e) Use the Rational Method to estimate the total runoff of the catchment:
Q = 0.278 CIA (B4)

where Q = runoff rate (m3/s)
C = runoff coefficient (adopt 1.0)
I = design rainfall intensity (mm/hr) from Equation (B3)
A = catchment area (km2) from step (a)
(f) The intake capacity of a gully can be calculated by using Equation (B5)
from Statewide Urban Design and Specification of Iowa in the USA:
Qi = 0.204 Ag (211  d)0.5 (B5)

where Qi = intake capacity of a gully (m3/s)
Ag = clear opening of gully grating (m2)
d = flooded depth (m)

For 125 mm flooded depth (i.e. kerb height), the intake capacity of a
gully with GA 1-450 double triangular gully grating can be taken as
0.11 m3/s.
The number of gullies required is obtained by dividing the total runoff

with the intake capacity of a single gully and should not be less than that
stipulated in section 3.9.7.
B3.1.3 To cope with a large catchment, a continuous grated channel (section 3.11.4)
or a series of gullies in vicinity of the sag point would be resulted.
B3.1.4 For typical cross section of expressway as shown in Diagram 6.3.3.1 of

Transport Planning and Design Manual (TPDM) Volume 2 Chapter 6 (but
with solid concrete barrier at the outer edge) with 2.5% crossfall installed with
150 mm diameter drain holes through the concrete barrier, the discharge
capacity of each drain hole can be taken as 0.023 m3/s. The number of drain
holes required is obtained by dividing the total runoff with the capacity of a
single drain hole.
B3.1.5 For other cross section and drain hole arrangement, the designer should use
appropriate hydraulic formula to calculate the number of drain holes required
to maintain at least one traffic lane free from flooding.
B3.2 Contingency Discharge Measures
B3.2.1 Investigations on flooding incidents on expressways reveal that the presence of

continuous concrete barriers, central dividers and concrete upstands of noise
barriers/enclosures inadvertently prevent the surface runoff from discharging
off the expressways and lead to flooding at sag sections in case the gullies and
carrier drains, as the only discharge points, do not function properly. It is also
observed that open channels along verges, if discharged to an alternative
outlet, can serve as an effective contingency alleviating measure under
extreme situations.
B3.2.2 Depending on individual site conditions, designers shall include an appropriate

combination of contingency discharge measures at sag sections to assure
thoroughfare be maintained along expressways even under extreme weather
conditions. The following measures can serve as typical reference, although
they may not necessarily be exhaustive:

(a) Roadside Channels
B3.2.3 Open channels can have large hydraulic capacity, high drainage efficiency, and
any blockage of which can be easily identified during daily inspection of the
expressways. In view of these advantages, it is recommended to provide
roadside channels at the verge of expressways where feasible. Roadside
channels (for examples, toe channel of roadside slopes) shall be designed to
prevent runoff on the adjacent area/slope from flowing onto the expressway
and causing flooding. They can also serve as the contingency measure to
receive surface flow on the carriageway overtopping the kerbs or discharging
from drain holes through roadside barriers and other intermittent drainage
outlets under extreme situations. Details are further elaborated in sections
B3.2.5 to B3.2.8 and B3.2.10 below.
B3.2.4 The roadside channels are a vital part of the contingency discharge measures
and the designer shall ensure their hydraulic capacities be adequate for
discharging all the anticipated runoff from a heavy rainstorms with a
probability of 1 in 50 years.
(b) Drain holes through roadside barriers
B3.2.5 Continuous roadside barriers could block the flow of surface runoff away from
the carriageway area in case of extreme weather conditions or malfunctioning
of underground pavement drainage system. From the flood-protection point of
view, provision of continuous barriers without gaps or drainage openings in
particular at or near sag point should be avoided. Since open gap in roadside
barriers may affect traffic safety, drain holes through roadside barriers, located
slightly above the adjoining road level, should be provided to allow the
discharge of runoff away from the expressway under extreme weather
conditions. In normal situation, kerbside gullies could effectively drain the
surface runoff. When the surface water floods to the level of the drain holes,
the drain holes provide alternative drain paths for the discharge of the runoff
and reduce the flood risk of the expressway.
B3.2.6 Drain holes shall be properly orientated to streamline the incoming flow, e.g.
perpendicular to the traffic direction along sag and levelled sections, or at an
angle of 45° from the kerbside flow direction when the longitudinal gradient is
obvious. Shapes of drain holes may be rectangular, oval, circular or others to
suit the barrier design and/or necessity of specific aesthetic/traffic noise
requirements, provided that the integrity and functionality of the roadside
restraint system must be maintained. Preferably overflow weirs should be
provided as shown in Sketch Nos. HRDMISCEL-SK0264 and 0265 to

protect drain holes from blockage by debris. Detailed approach for calculating
the required number of circular drain holes through roadside barriers in the
vicinity of the sag point is included in sections B3.1.2 and B3.1.4 and is
illustrated by Example 8 in section 5.8. The designer may wish to adopt other
drain hole shapes so as to enlarge the hole size as far as possible. In the
circumstances, the designer should evaluate the drain hole capacity and
required number of holes according to established hydraulic theories.
B3.2.7 For sag sections of large catchment areas, it is advisable to provide drain holes
through barriers at convenient locations considerably upstream of the sag
point, so that runoff would not be concentrated to the sag point even if the
upstream gullies are not performing effectively.
B3.2.8 In general, drain holes through roadside barriers shall be discharged to

channels at the rear side of the barriers (see Sketch No. HRDMISCEL-
SK0264). If site conditions allow, it is recommended that the estimated flow
from the entire sag section of the carriageway shall be included in designing
the hydraulic capacity of the roadside channels. A few salient points on
discharge of drain holes across barriers under different topographies are
deliberated below for designer’s reference:
(i) Sag sections of expressways abutting uphill slopes

The designer shall take appropriate design precautions to avoid any
backwater flow from the roadside channel onto the expressway including,
for instance, lowering the invert level of the roadside channel, specifying
the gradient of drain holes to fall toward the top of the roadside
channel, etc.
(ii) Sag sections of expressways adjacent to downhill slopes

Runoff discharging through the drain holes and crest channel can go
along the slope channels, to the catch pits at slope toe and ultimately
enter the downhill drainage system.
The estimated overflow from the expressway under contingency
situations should be catered for in the design of the slope drainage and
downstream outlets.
(iii) Sag sections of expressways on bridge structures

Provision of an additional channel alongside a bridge structure for
collecting contingency discharge from the carriageway may not be cost
effective. In the circumstances, direct discharge of flood water through
the drain holes across barriers can be considered provided the area
underneath the bridge structure is not vulnerable.

(c) Drain holes through central dividers
B3.2.9 For sags on dual carriageways with continuous concrete central divider, there
is a possibility that carriageway on one direction is flooded due to blockage of
surface intakes, while surface drainage on the opposite direction is working
properly. Under the circumstances, drain holes through the central divider at
road sags is useful in alleviating the flood condition. Typical drain holes
details shall refer to Sketch No. SK/DH1. Different scenarios are elaborated in
the items below.
(i) Crossfall toward a single side on both traffic directions

This scenario is common along curved road sections. When carriageway
of the direction at the higher level is flooded, drain holes through the
central divider will allow the runoff along the fast lane to flow onto the
opposite carriageway and eventually be collected by the drainage system
(including the contingency discharge measures) on the opposite bound.
To take advantage of this risk alleviating mechanism, the designer shall
be precautionary in designing the road profile at sag sections. Sketch No.
HRDMISCEL-SK0269 illustrates the recommended and less desirable
arrangements. Although more earthwork may be involved, it would be
out-weighed by the benefit on reducing the flood risk on the expressway.
For expressway sections with significant level difference between two
carriageway bounds due to critical site constraints, rendering it not
feasible to comply with the recommended arrangement in SK0269, the
designer may decide to keep the profile and consider other contingency
drainage provision arrangements, e.g. shifting the sag point to a more
appropriate location along the longitudinal alignment to facilitate
provision of contingency discharge measures.
For sag sections on existing expressways with cross sectional profile
similar to the “less desirable arrangement” as indicated on Sketch No.
HRDMISCEL-SK0269, it may not be practical to attempt modifying the
profile to tally with the “recommended arrangement”. Notwithstanding
the scenario, instead of simply ruling out the use of drain holes across
the central divider, detailed consideration shall be given to evaluate
whether retrofitting with such drain holes can help lower the flood risk
of the traffic bound at higher level.
(ii) Crossfall on both traffic directions falling away from the central divider
For this typical construction along straight road sections, drain holes
across the central divider will not contribute until the flood level on
either side reaches the high side of the carriageway. However, it is still
recommendable to provide drain holes through the central divider since
they can help limit the flood depth while the drainage measures on one
direction of the dual carriageway have chokage but those on the opposite
side is functioning properly.

(d) Intermittent drainage outlets at kerbs
B3.2.10 Under extreme conditions, there would be a considerable amount of surface

runoff bypassing intermediate gullies along an inclined road section and
accumulating at the sag point. This will increase the loading on the drainage
system at the sag points and induce the chance of flooding. To relieve such
surging demand on the drainage system at the sag point, intermittent drainage
outlets at kerbs (see Sketch No. HRDMISCEL-SK0263) shall be provided at
all convenient points over the middle of two consecutive gullies along the
upstream of the sag point to effectively divert the surface runoff from the
carriageway to roadside channels before reaching the sag point. Such
provisions can also effectively alleviate any sudden proliferation of kerbside
flooding zone during transient rainstorm of extremely high intensity.
(e) Enlarged overflow weir at concrete profile barriers
B3.2.11 To further enhance the effectiveness of overflow weirs under large flood
depths, a special design as shown in Sketch Nos. HRDMISCEL-SK0265 and
0266 shall be adopted for overflow weirs to be installed along the concrete
profile barriers at sag points. As mentioned in section B3.2.6, drain holes
through concrete profile barriers should preferably be provided behind
overflow weirs to reduce their visual impact and protect them from blockage
by debris.
B4 Outlets Reliability
B4.1 To minimize the risk of flooding at sag sections of expressways, the reliability
of drainage outlets shall be duly considered. Inadequate hydraulic capacity or
blockage of the downstream drainage will hamper the effectiveness of the
entire road drainage system. Small size underground pipe is more susceptible
to blockage and the blockage cannot be easily identified until flooding occurs.
Hence, it is desirable to design the drainage path from the sag point to trunk
drains as short as technically feasible, in particular for the drainage path of the
contingency discharge measures. In general, culverts/channels belonging to the
Urban Drainage Trunk System or Main Rural Catchment Drainage Channel as
defined in the SDM(2018) Section 6.6 would have larger hydraulic capacity,
be unlikely to be affected by the backwater and have lower risk of blockage.
B4.2 To diversify risk, outlet for the contingency discharge system shall not simply
merge to that of the principal gullies system wherever possible. If a trunk drain
downstream is the common outlet for both systems, it is still recommended to

design a separate path for connecting the contingency discharge to the trunk
drain.
B4.3 The above-mentioned contingency discharge measures are intended to

supplement the principal gully systems in case of extreme situations. If the
downstream facilities are not specifically designed to take up the contingency
discharge, incidental overloading somewhere at the downstream may be
resulted. In case the downstream capacity cannot be sufficiently enlarged to
cope with the entire anticipated contingency discharge, the designed number
and/or size of the contingency discharge measures should be refined such that
the downstream facilities will not be overloaded.


Highways Department: RD/GN/035A February 2020 Research & Development Division

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HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT

1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1

Design Chart 1A General Calculation of Drained Area (Gradient ≥ 0.5%) .......................... 34

Figure 1 Delineation of Rainfall Zones ................................................................................. 3

2.2 This new design standard provides:-

RD/GN/035A Guidance Notes on Road Pavement Drainage Design Page 1 of 73

3.1 Rainfall Intensity

3.1.1 The drainage system should in principle be designed to accommodate a rainfall

RD/GN/035A Guidance Notes on Road Pavement Drainage Design Page 2 of 73

Figure 1 – Delineation of Rainfall Zones

1 per year 162 mm/h 0.79 m 1.04 m

Storm Maximum Flooded Width

1 in 50 years 248 mm/h 0.97 m 1.34 m

Storm Maximum Flooded Width

1 in 50 years 335 mm/h 1.16 m 1.67 m

RD/GN/035A Guidance Notes on Road Pavement Drainage Design Page 4 of 73

1 in 50 years 318 mm/h 1.13 m 1.67 m

Storm Maximum Flooded Width

1 in 50 years 246 mm/h 0.97 m 1.34 m

3.2 Serviceability State Considerations

RD/GN/035A Guidance Notes on Road Pavement Drainage Design Page 5 of 73

Longitudinal Gradient Design Flooded Width

from 2% to 3% transition from 0.75 m to 0.70 m

from 3% to 5% transition from 0.70 m to 0.68 m

from 5% to 7.5% transition from 0.68 m to 0.66 m

more than 7.5% gradually reduce from 0.66 m downwards

RD/GN/035A Guidance Notes on Road Pavement Drainage Design Page 6 of 73

3.4 Ultimate State Considerations

H ult  1.2  10  Wult  X fall (1)

where Hult = flow height (mm)

RD/GN/035A Guidance Notes on Road Pavement Drainage Design Page 7 of 73

where RFult = reduction factor for ultimate state

RD/GN/035A Guidance Notes on Road Pavement Drainage Design Page 8 of 73

Longitudinal Gradient Minimum Crossfall

Table 3: Minimum Crossfalls

3.6 Gully Spacing - Roads at a Gradient Greater Than 0.5%

a) most upstream gully - the first gully from the crest;

RD/GN/035A Guidance Notes on Road Pavement Drainage Design Page 9 of 73

where Lu = unadjusted gully spacing (m)

Table 4: Roughness Coefficients for Different Types of Road Surface

RD/GN/035A Guidance Notes on Road Pavement Drainage Design Page 10 of 73

where Lu = unadjusted gully spacing (m)

Figure 2 – Typical Gully Spacing for Drained Width of 12m (unadjusted)

RD/GN/035A Guidance Notes on Road Pavement Drainage Design Page 11 of 73

L = Lu × (1 - RFgrating) × ( 1 - RFdebris) (5)

where L = design gully spacing (m)

Gully Grating Efficiency

Figure 3 – Specified Grating Orientation

RD/GN/035A Guidance Notes on Road Pavement Drainage Design Page 12 of 73

Type of Grating RFgrating

Table 5: Reduction Factors for Gully Efficiency

RD/GN/035A Guidance Notes on Road Pavement Drainage Design Page 13 of 73

Table 6: Reduction Factors for Blockage by Debris

RD/GN/035A Guidance Notes on Road Pavement Drainage Design Page 14 of 73

Road Drained Width

Table 7: Maximum Lengths (m) of Edge Drain

RD/GN/035A Guidance Notes on Road Pavement Drainage Design Page 15 of 73

3.9 Details to Facilitate Entry of Surface Water