The edge of a parking lot is where drainage begins. Curb and gutter form the boundary between the lot and the street, channel stormwater to catch basins, and must meet city specifications at public tie-ins. We pour both machine-slipformed long runs and hand-formed transitions, all engineered to slope and cross-section. Free written estimate included.
Curb and gutter are not just a landscape detail. The gutter pan is the drainage system itself. Water from the lot surface or street runs into the pan, the slope carries it to catch basins, and the curb prevents vehicles from driving onto the pan or into the water. Without proper slope, the pan becomes a pond that freezes and cracks every winter.
Long straight runs are machine-formed with a slipform paver, which moves quickly and holds consistent cross-section and slope. Transitions at lot corners, intersections, drop-curb details, and any curved sections require hand-forming because the machine cannot navigate those shapes. Both methods produce the same finished profile; the choice depends on the lot layout.
This approach extends across all our parking lot work, our broader site concrete services, and related ADA ramp details that tie into curb. Damaged curb sections are handled through parking lot repair methods.
Recent work
The sequence
Steps to Install Curb & Gutter in Detroit
Survey and stake the line
The curb alignment is staked from the property survey and drainage plan. Elevations are set at every transition, catch basin, and slope change. The baseline is confirmed before any ground work begins.
Excavate and compact base
Subgrade is cut to depth, compacted, gravel base is placed and compacted again, and the surface is brought to the elevation where the curb concrete will start.
Form the concrete
Long runs use a machine slipform paver to the engineered cross-section. Transitions, intersections, drop-curbs, and curves are hand-formed and tied seamlessly into the slipform sections.
Joint, cure, and finish
Control joints are tooled at engineered spacing. The concrete cures protected from weather. Tie-ins to adjacent parking slab or street pavement are detailed to specification.
Drainage is the detail
Why Slope Determines Gutter Success
A gutter without slope is a water trap. Every point along the pan must slope toward the next catch basin at a grade steep enough to move water during peak rainfall without ponding. Slipform machines can lose slope if they catch on subgrade irregularities, creating low spots that hold water and fail under freeze-thaw cycles. We monitor slope during the pour and verify it after cure.
Coordinate the curb pour with the parking lot slab so the meeting is flush, with the city street so the public tie-in meets spec, and with any equipment pads or sidewalk work that adjoins the curb. The curb is the boundary between systems; it must fit each one and tie cleanly into our broader commercial concrete work.
Slipform vs hand-formed, slope specs, city tie-ins and what curb actually does.
Both, depending on the run. Long continuous runs are slipformed for speed and consistency; transitions, intersections, drop-curbs and curves are hand-formed where the machine cannot work. Most lots get both techniques in the same project.
Surveyed at staking, monitored during the pour (slipform machines lose slope if they catch on irregularities), and verified after cure. A pan without slope holds water; we never leave one without confirming the drainage path actually works.
Yes, where the project includes a city tie-in, the curb is poured to the city's spec at that transition. We coordinate with the engineer and city inspector on the elevation and cross-section so the tie-in passes inspection.
Yes, isolated sections of failed curb can be cut out and re-poured to match. See parking lot repair for that triage approach; we treat curb damage the same way.
Machine slipform moves quickly; a long lot perimeter can be done in a few days. Hand-formed transitions add time; the full schedule is in the quote so you know how long curb work takes within the larger project.
Client reviews
What Detroit Operations Say About Their Curb & Gutter
Long slipform run around our entire lot perimeter. Continuous, sharp edges, exact slope to the catch basins. The drainage works perfectly through every melt.
W. N.
Property Manager, Detroit
★★★★★
Hand-formed transitions at every entrance look like part of the design, not patched-in. They coordinated the curb pour with the asphalt apron so the meeting line is invisible.
Q. L.
Retail Plaza Owner, Warren
★★★★★
City tie-in passed inspection first time. They knew the city's spec, poured to it, and the inspector signed off without revisions. Saved real schedule slip.
Z. L.
Industrial Site Manager, Ann Arbor
★★★★★
Drop-curbs at every accessible ramp tied in flush. ADA inspector confirmed compliance. The detail work shows; nothing improvised, everything to spec.
Y. E.
Mall Operations, Sterling Heights
From the blog
Concrete Guides & Articles
Practical reading on planning, finishes and caring for concrete in Detroit.
