A water bar or interceptor dyke is a road construction feature that is used to prevent

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is d ...

on sloping roads, cleared paths through woodland (for utility companies such as electricity pylons), or other accessways by reducing flow length. It is a diagonal channel across the road that diverts surface water (that would otherwise flow down the whole length of the road) off the road and into a stable drain way. By constructing a series of water bars at intervals along a road, the volume of water flowing down the road is reduced. Without water bars,

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

ing, washouts, and accelerated road degradation can occur. The drain way carries the water that would otherwise be carried by the road. For proper operation of the water bars it must be stable and regularly inspected to ensure that it is free of silt buildup or other obstructions. Water bars are usually constructed at an angle across the road. They tend to make passage by vehicle on the road difficult; usually a large high-clearance

four wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer cas ...

vehicle is required. Water bars are common on roads such as Forest Service Roads, especially in mountainous terrain with high rainfall amounts.

References

* * {{cite web, url=http://www.lgpc.state.ny.us/WaterBar.pdf, author=aismac, title=Water Bar, date=1999-06-22, publisher=Center for Sustainable Design,

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...

Landscape Road infrastructure