Concrete Driveway Crossovers

What is a Concrete Driveway Crossover?

A Driveway Crossover is the section of the pathway that joins the edge of the road to the boundary of a property. It is the portion of the driveway that is on council land. The construction of a driveway crossover involves the removal of the existing pavement that crosses over the planned driveway. Most local councils require a full-slab driveway crossover between the kerb and property boundary.

You will need to be in compliance with the local council’s specifications for your council driveway crossover and get written approval. It is, therefore, crucial to check with your local council for specific requirements because some councils have more stringent or alternate rules or processes in place.

  • The driveway crossover has to be graded properly to protect against stormwater overflow from the road in most states. In addition, the council crossover must be constructed in a way that prevents stormwater from flowing into your neighbour’s property.
  • You need to place proper signage, redirection, and barrier protection measures if the crossover concrete path construction obstructs traffic or pedestrians
  • The property owner is responsible for constructing and maintaining the driveway crossing. The local municipality is responsible when the council’s works cause crossing damage or if its services need replacement.
  • All new, replacement, alteration, or repairs to driveway crossings will need a council permit through an application. Once an application is received, a council officer will look at your plan and the site and be in communication with you. When the plan and request are approved, an official letter and permit will be issued.

To Identify Driveway Crossover Width in Simple Steps Checkout the Video

What are the benefits of concrete driveway crossovers?

A driveway crossover is typically a part of every residential property. There are several benefits to keeping a clean and well-constructed crossover which include:

  • Better aesthetics of your home
  • Efficient drainage in and around the property to prevent flooding
  • Safer for pedestrians to cross while walking
  • Safer for your car to drive over regularly

Steps to Build New Concrete Driveways and Council Crossovers

Step 1: Check for underground utilities before constructing council driveway crossover

Before you begin constructing a Concrete Driveway crossover, it is important to contact your state’s Dial Before You Dig (DBYD) service. DBYD, an accredited not-for-profit safety initiative, helps building contractors and homeowners across Australia identify underground utility lines that could serve as impediments to construction and excavation plans. This information will help you locate shallow utility lines under the construction area. If there are lines impeding construction, you might be able to make arrangements to reposition/move them.

Step 2: Survey the land and be aware of your boundaries

Research your property, review land blueprints, know where your land boundary is and mark, with spray paint, the location (supplied by DBYD) of any shallow underground utility cables under the Concrete Construction Area.

Step 3: Demarcate your project area and mark out boundaries

You will need to place wooden stakes and set up a string to mark the concrete crossovers driveway area.

Step 4: Excavate the topsoil and level out the construction area

Excavate the topsoil using either a shovel or an excavator machine, and level out the construction area. You would generally want to excavate around 250mm down from the ground level.

You typically will only need a dingo loader or mini excavator for a residential driveway crossover job like this. However, if you’re working on a larger driveway with more excavation needed, you may require a larger machine -like a 5- to 7-tonne track-mounted excavator.

Step 5: Lay wood forms at the project area, anchor them with stakes

Lay wood forms around the construction area to ensure that when pouring concrete, it doesn’t spill outside the project space and fills the correct area. Ensure your forms are straight and well-defined.

Step 6: Add sand to firm up soil and gravel to set base thickness

To ensure base thickness, you need 4 to 10 inches, depending on soil quality.

Step 7: Compact gravel and soil

You would need to use a plate compactor across the project area and then wet the surface again.

Step 8: Use steel strengthening mesh or bars

Strengthen your Concrete Foundation with reinforcing mesh or rebar (grid pattern) that covers the project area. This step is vital in hardening your driveway.

Step 9: Pour concrete

Pour concrete and make sure to spread it evenly across the concrete path construction area. This can be implemented using a skid steer with a front bucket, wheelbarrow or tractor, depending on the scope of the work.

Step 10: Smoothen, level, and groove the concrete

Utilising a trowel and leveller, smoothen and level out the Concrete Slabs. Create straight grooves throughout the driveway by using a groover to prevent cracks. You can also use a broom to finish the concrete, providing more of a non-slip traction, an ideal finish, particularly when there is rainfall.

Step 11: Set and cure concrete

Concrete must be set, after which it needs to be cured either with a sealant or by watering daily for some days. Curing concrete is a critical process that hardens the concrete and makes it stronger. Inadequate curing will lead to weak cement that may degrade with time and suffer damage more rapidly. The time taken to cure concrete can vary but generally takes a few days to set and between one to four weeks to cure fully. Do not rush the process.

Step 12: Park your car

Once the curing process is over, you can safely park your car.

In Melbourne, Australia, if you wish to construct or alter a driveway crossover, you must apply to seek the local council’s permission. The property owner is responsible for building and construction, alterations, maintenance, and repairing driveway crossovers. The property owner’s responsibility includes not just where the driveway crosses the kerb, but also footpaths, water courses, drains and easements.

At Concrete By Bayleaf, we are passionate about constructing the highest-quality concrete driveway crossovers. We are Melbourne’s leading concreting specialists for residential and commercial properties, servicing the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne and along the Mornington Peninsula.

We are experts in delivering quality council crossovers. We will manage the end-to-end processes and complete your work within 14 days of invoice payment.

Call us now at 0402791644 or visit our website to see our Quality Concrete Services and request a quote for all your driveway crossover needs.


FAQs – Constructing Concrete Driveway Crossovers


What width does a concrete crossovers need to be in Australia?

A one-car driveway in Australia should be at least 2.5 metres wide, while a two-car driveway must be at least 5 metres wide.

What equipment would I need to build a concrete driveway crossover?

To build a driveway, you would need a wheelbarrow, a shovel, a tape measure, a hand spade, a site string line, a compactor, a spirit level, stakes, a straight edge tool, a cement trowel, a hand float, an edger, a groover, a hose, and a broom.

How much does a driveway crossover planning permit cost in Victoria?

While planning to construct a driveway crossover, you should expect to pay around $1,080 to $1,530 to commission a pathway. For further advice on the cost of driveway crossover, please reach out to our team.

How much does a driveway crossover cost?

A regular concrete driveway crossover cost Melbourne is between $65 and $150 per square metre. The prices will vary because of materials, labour and the complexity of job.

What is a concrete crossovers?

Driveway crossovers are also known as vehicular crossings. Property owners these days generally prefer a concrete driveway crossover to be wider. A wider concrete crossovers driveway in Melbourne makes it easier to steer a vehicle when entering and exiting a property frequently.

Who is responsible for the driveway crossover?

The property owner is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the driveway crossover in Melbourne. The maintenance responsibility also extends to any other existing driveway crossover and invert servicing of the property.

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