One headache you inherit in the country is road maintenance. And it's not the
county's roads—it's yours.
You have to deal with ruts and washouts in a road that may go on for hundreds of
yards. In the North, frost in the ground can even cause heaving.
There is no "best" way to maintain or even build a road because every road is
different. But if there's one person who knows the subject it's Russ Lanoie.
He's spent 30 years building and maintaining the back roads of New Hampshire.
"Sometimes it's as simple as scraping off the top layer of grass, putting down 4
inches of gravel, and you have a road that lasts forever," says Lanoie.
But that is the exception. Often gravel roads are constructed with the wrong—or
not enough of the right— materials. Roads can be incorrectly sloped. And once
built, poor maintenance can shorten their useful life significantly.
The key to a long-lasting, low-maintenance road is always good drainage. To get
that right, Lanoie says you have to understand what goes into making a good
road.
THE CROWN. Well-drained, two-way gravel roads should come to a slightly raised
crown—or A-shape—midpoint. Pitch of the road should be ½ to ¾ inch for every
foot of road width out from the crown. Single-lane roads do not require the
A-shaped crown.
THE MATERIALS. Start by removing stumps, large rocks and areas of soft or
organic soil. Then start building your road from the bottom up.
Consider using a geotextile membrane to strengthen and stabilize the base.
Often, soil can be removed, then redeposited atop this membrane.
Use about 9 inches of soil, followed by 6 inches of coarse gravel, containing
less than 10% silt and clay particles.
Next, add 4-plus inches of crushed "bank-run gravel." Look for ¾- to 1-inch-size
pieces of this angular rock. On the crown, surface material should be 7 to 12%
fines, which are the tiny silt and clay particles that bind the gravel together.
The use of geotextile membranes and even the 6-inch coarse gravel base layer are
optional—particularly in drier climates or where soils are sturdier. If you're
not sure how well soils in your area will support a road, contact your local
Natural Resources Conservation Service (www.nrcs.usda.gov).
THE DITCHES. Ditches on either side of the road should be flat-bottomed or
parabolic in shape. These will help spread runoff over a larger area than
V-shaped ditches would, which slows the flow of water and the rate of erosion.
THE SHAPE. Gravel road widths can vary from about 12 to 20 feet. A 6-foot-wide
blade is a good tool for scraping and forming the crown, working half the
roadway at a time. Make sure to work the road going uphill.
The best time to reshape a road is right after a rain. Water helps loosen the
surface, reduces dust and allows the material to "recompact" after grading.
THE BLADE WORK. First, position the blade perpendicular to the direction you are
traveling, and work uphill. Cut deep enough to smooth bumps and level potholes.
Now turn the grader so it will push gravel to the middle of the road and help
form the crown. Set the blade to cut deeper at the edge of the road than at the
center.
If the crown is too big, make another pass with the blade set perpendicular to
the direction of travel.
For More Info:
Get more details and images on road building at Russ Lanoie's web site, www.ruralhometech.com.