 There's one thing we can always count on in the spring, water, and lots of it. In some years we'll have flooding no matter what we do, but if our ditches and culverts are clean, damage can be held to a minimum, even in the worst years. So in this program we'll look at the procedures covered in the maintenance activity, remove minor slides, and clean cut ditch. The procedures for maintaining culverts are covered in another program. So let's get started. The whole purpose of any ditch is to provide a pathway for water, and when a ditch gets obstructed will not only have flooding problems, we can also expect severe damage to the road. So the point is we have to keep the ditches clear. Basically cleaning cut ditch involves setting up all the necessary traffic control devices, piling up the excess material, loading the trucks, maintaining the ditches original grade and slope, and cleaning up. So let's look at each step, beginning with traffic control. This activity almost always requires flaggers, because in most cases traffic has to be stopped when the trucks enter and leave the work site. So all flaggers and the required traffic control devices have to be in possession before the work begins. The next step is to pile up the excess material. On this job the rocks are scattered all over, so a grater is used to put the rocks in a windrow. That way the loader operator can pile up the material quickly. There's one important thing to keep in mind here. There aren't many jobs that are as hard on tires as this one. So don't worry about keeping the grater going in a straight line. Look out for the rocks. The whole purpose here is to move the rocks to one place. The shape of the ditch will be maintained later. The same goes for the loader, but with a loader you really only have to look out for rocks when you're backing up. The bucket will push the rocks out of your way when you're going forward. I should point out here that the grater isn't required. A good loader operator is quite capable of handling the job alone, but if a grater is available it can really speed up the operation. Once the loader is piled up enough material, the trucks can be loaded. The best way to alert the flaggers that you're going to cross the roadway is to sound your horn. When you can see that both flaggers have stopped traffic, you can move safely into position. Always back in. That way the loader can fill the truck easily and without having to drive on the roadway. After you've set the emergency break, get out of the truck. As you've seen, there were a lot of rocks in the ditch, and it's entirely possible that more will come down while you're working. So it's a good idea to act as a spotter for the loader operator while you're waiting. As for loading the truck, go slow. If anything will damage the body and the suspension, it's a bucket full of rocks. So always dump from as low a height as possible and dump the bucket slowly. Keep in mind that it's the truck driver who's responsible for the load. So before leaving, always check to see that you're not overloaded. Again, sound your horn to alert the flaggers that you're entering the roadway. And when traffic has been stopped, you can proceed safely across. One more thing about the trucks. As I said, there aren't many things hotter on them than being loaded with rocks. But this crew protects the dump box with an old tank cut in half and hooked up the same way as the sander. It's certainly not required, but it does save wear. Okay, when all the excess material has been removed, the ditch can be shaped. The main thing to keep in mind here is that you want to maintain the ditch's original grade and slope. That way the ditch will drain water the way it's supposed to. Be especially careful not to undercut the back slope. Undercutting will make the slope weak and you'll end up with a ditch full of material. In fact, undercutting can cause a slide. So when you shape the ditch, work from the bottom toward the road. That way the ditch will be smooth and you can work the excess material toward the road to fill in any edge ruts. The last step of the operation is to make sure that the road surface and the shoulder are clear. If necessary, broom the surface to avoid any damage to passing vehicles. When you're through, this is what the ditch should look like. Clear and smooth and the shoulder flush with the ditch. And that's the procedure for cleaning cut ditch. To review, all the necessary traffic control devices and flaggers have to be in position before the work begins. Pile up the material with a loader or with a greater in the loader, always looking out for rocks to avoid blowing a tire. Truck drivers should always back in and act as spotters while waiting for their trucks to be loaded. Loading has to be done from as low a height as possible and by dumping the bucket slowly. You should always sound the horn before entering or leaving the work site. Avoid undercutting the backslope and move material toward the road. And finally, broom the roadway and shoulder if necessary to avoid damage to passing vehicles. Now let's look at the procedures for removing minor slides. This operation is very similar to cleaning cut ditch. The obvious difference is that there's a whole lot more material to clear. And the fact that there's so much material to remove makes this job especially challenging for two reasons. First, it's difficult to see where the backslope begins. And second, it's hard to tell what the ditches original grade and slope were. So let's take a look at the procedures. As I said earlier, if the backslope gets undercut, there's a good chance that it will cause a slide. And that's the last thing you need. So when you pile up the material, travel along the ditch working toward the slope. That way you can see the backslope better after each pass you make. This same procedure allows you to get a good idea of the ditches original grade and slope. As a general rule, you'll end up with a good foreslope if you place the bucket just on the edge of the pavement as you move the material along. As you can see, there's not a whole lot of room to work. And that's always the case with removing slides. So even with all the traffic control devices in place, you still need to watch out for traffic 100% of the time. You never know when someone's going to run a flagger stop sign. And that's the procedure for cleaning cut ditch and removing minor slides. The operations are largely the same, even though the amount of material to clear varies considerably. Try to keep the points you've seen here in mind. Remember, we not only want to keep the ditches clean, we have to be careful not to create more slides by undercutting. Oh, just in case you were wondering what a major slide looks like, this is what's left of a little town named Thistle. Virtually every maintenance and construction activity was required to clear this slide and to restore the roadways.