Bar Ditch is what we commonly refer to as the ditch along side of driveways, roads and highways.

Like so many other things in our Texas Speak, Bar Ditch is a shortened version of Borrow Ditch. So called because when building the roadbed, dirt is taken or borrowed from the sides of the road and brought to the middle to build up the roadway. This provides positive drainage so the rain runoff can be directed natural drainage ways.

Streets with curbs don’t have bar ditches because drainage is achieved with inlets, flumes and networks of underground piping to direct runoff to natural waterways.

Many of you know all of this, but for the ones that didn’t, now you do.