Fixing the Bump Where Your Driveway Meets the Street

That jolt or scrape where the driveway meets street pavement usually comes from a sharp change in angle: a rolled curb and gutter, a steep apron, a street that's been repaved higher over the years, or an apron that has sunk or heaved. The quick fix is a curb ramp, typically a rubber wedge that sits in the gutter and smooths the transition. The catch is that the gutter carries stormwater, so any ramp should leave a path for water, and it may sit on land your city or HOA controls. When the problem is a failing or badly shaped apron, the lasting fix is to have the apron regraded or rebuilt.

Driveway slope guide → Driveway slope calculator →

Why the Bump Happens

• Rolled or mountable curbs. Many subdivisions have curbs you drive over, with a gutter pan in front. The dip and rise can catch low bumpers.
• Steep aprons. A short, steep transition from street to driveway creates a sharp crest.
• Street overlays. When a street is repaved on top of the old surface, it gets higher. Over several overlays, the gutter can end up nearly level with the bottom of your driveway, or a lip forms.
• Settling or heaving. A sunken apron creates a dip, while frost or roots can push up a ridge.
• Low vehicles. Sports cars, lowered trucks, and long wheelbase vehicles are the most likely to scrape.

Measure Where the Driveway Meets Street and Gutter

Before buying anything, take a few measurements:

1. Curb height, from the bottom of the gutter to the top of the curb or apron edge.
2. Gutter width, from the street edge to the curb.
3. Driveway width at the curb, so the ramp spans the path your tires take.
4. Where water flows, especially during a heavy rain.

Photos from the side help too. For measuring pitch along the driveway itself, the slope and pitch guide explains how to turn rise and run into a percentage.

Option 1: A Rubber Curb Ramp

These are preformed rubber wedges that sit in the gutter against the curb. Smooth Curb, one manufacturer, sells a standard kit of three recycled-rubber pieces that bolt together into a 12-foot run. The assembled ramp is 3 inches tall, 17 inches deep, and weighs 128 pounds.

Things to know:

• Match the height. Smooth Curb cautions that its 3-inch height is just a dimension. It won't necessarily suit every curb of that height or every low car.
• Clean the gutter first. Debris and sediment under a ramp keep it from sitting flat.
• Check where it can go. Smooth Curb tells buyers to find out whether the gutter spot belongs to them or falls under an HOA or the city, and warns that a ramp being removable doesn't answer that question.
• Plan for snow. Plows can catch or push a ramp. Some people remove ramps for winter.

Option 2: A Ramp With a Drainage Channel

Solid ramps that fill the gutter can block water, causing pooling at the driveway entrance and debris buildup, according to CurbRamp, a ramp maker that sells drainage-compatible designs. Options include:

• Ramps with built-in channels that let water pass underneath
• Adding a channel under a ramp. CurbRamp's own install guide says not to use too large a channel or pipe and to keep at least 2 inches of ramp material above it.
• Tapering the ends so water can flow around the ramp and back into the gutter

Keep the gutter clear so the channel doesn't clog.

Option 3: Change How You Drive In

It sounds simple, but approaching at an angle so one wheel crosses the gutter at a time often reduces scraping. Slow down to reduce suspension compression.

Option 4: Fix the Apron

If the bump comes from a sunken, broken, or badly shaped apron, a ramp only masks it. Options include:

• Regrading and repaving the asphalt apron to create a gentler transition
• Rebuilding the base where it has settled. The article on sunken asphalt repairs compares approaches.
• Replacing the apron with concrete, which some homeowners choose at the street for durability

Because street aprons usually sit in the public right-of-way, ask your city's public works or engineering office about permits and requirements first.

The steps for rebuilding a failed asphalt apron are laid out in asphalt apron repair.

What Not to Do

• Don't pile cold patch or asphalt in the gutter. It blocks water, breaks up under traffic, and may not be allowed in the street.
• Don't wedge boards or bricks in the gutter. They shift, rot, and trap debris.
• Don't grind or cut the city curb without permission.

Rebuilding the street section in concrete is another route; see asphalt driveway with a concrete apron.

Snow Season Tips

Ramps, lips, and aprons all take a beating from plows. Mark the edges of the driveway entrance before winter, and remove any ramp that could be damaged. More winter pointers are in guarding pavement from plows.

Bottom Line on the Bump Where the Driveway Meets the Street

A bump where your driveway meets street pavement usually comes from rolled curbs, steep aprons, street overlays, or settling. A rubber curb ramp with a drainage path is the quick fix, as long as your city or HOA allows it. For a lasting solution, have the apron regraded or rebuilt.