Like most rural yards I have a shallow runoff ditch between the road and my main yard. Over the whole 40 ft span the ground seems to slope in a consistent direction towards a larger common ditch/creek. But there are a few 1-2 ft spans of it that flatten and hold ~1 inch of water occasionally, causing the entire span to stay saturated.
The soil in the runoff ditch is clay so it's prone to saturation anyway. I wouldn't care much except for the fact that I need to mow the grass along this area, and 2 inches of clay mud isn't conducive to that. The soil does ocasionalmente dry, but it can also go weeks as mud, especially in the spring.
Would a smooth-piped french drain with a fabric pipe sock & gravel help this situation? The saturated area is about 40 ft long and 3 ft wide.
I'd also like to get some thicker grass to grow there to help with evaporation, but not sure how much that will help the situation.