Steep gravel driveway

[673moto]

What are the best ways to fix a steep gravel driveway that keeps forming washboard and ruts?
Use recycled concrete?
Mix in asphalt with fresh gravel and compact?
Has anyone had any luck with those plastic grids to retain gravel?
Driveway is a straight shot up a hill and homeowners have just been re-grading every year but would now like a more permanent solution (but still inexpensive, laying asphalt or concrete is out of the question)
I’m going to check it out today and can get pics and slope measurements.

 

[Tugger2]

Im not a dirt guy but i know on steep logging roads as soon as the weekenders in 2 wheel drives hit the steep spots you get washboard and marbles . 4 wheel drive and some driver education will help. They cant always just put thier foot into it and power up. Dirt guys in here will give you some ideas on material and compaction.

 

[673moto]

Well, it’s not that steep.. 12degrees at the steepest.
Obviously trench out either side to divert runoff and crown.
Still just wondering what material would pack in and hold up best.

Also, not sure why the site is flipping my photos sideways. Sorry

 

[Truck Shop]

Nothing like a old sedan with long rear leaf springs and some hard throttle to get the wheel hop going,
works every time.

 

[Tags]

Typically around here the problem isn’t the owners, it’s all the damn delivery trucks, Amazon, FedEx, UPS, and the USPS. They absolutely FLY in and out of driveways, it will washboard in no time from that. There’s no real way to stop it. You may be able to add a tacifyer to the road base material that tightens it up. Golf courses use it to hold the sand on the slopes in the bunkers. I’ve never used it but have heard of it being used. I’m told it forms a hard layer on the first couple of inches of the roadbase.

 

[materthegreater]

Recycled asphalt is probably the closest you'll get, short of concrete or new asphalt. If you put down the recycled asphalt on a hot sunny day and compact the heck out of it with a vibrating roller it'll hold up pretty well.

Second best would be asphalt mixed with gravel. Compacting when the moisture content is correct goes a long way regardless of what material you use.

 

[materthegreater]

And yes, definitely get some good ditches dug so the water has somewhere to go other than straight down the driveway

 

[skyking1]

that mud there on the right is from no drainage and the rock just goes away. I personally see this as a spot for fabric plus the crown for drainage, bigger stuff and a finish course over that. From the looks of it they do not have much rock there yet.
Let them drive on the bigger stuff to compact, then add the recycle as a top course and shape it right.

 

[Delmer]

The picture shows a soft spot with not enough gravel. A base of coarser rock up to 3" or so packed, then a surface on that will hold better, but they might want to get away cheaper. The steeper the grade the less it needs deep ditches, but it's hard to tell how steep that is. 12 degrees is 21%, it doesn't look anywhere near that steep. That doesn't even look 12%, I can't tell if I'm looking uphill or downhill.

A lot more rock, and grading that 3-4 times a year would help. One time cutting and reshaping the crown, and a couple times with a angled drag to keep the washboard down.

I see the washed out rut in the middle, that needs to be crowned, and the ditches kept low enough that the water doesn't wash out the secondary ditch, the side of the road where the grass builds up. You could add cross bars, dips that divert the water, but that would be a pain to drive, and shouldn't be needed.

 

[materthegreater]

Good point skyking, if there's not a good base in won't hold shape for very long.

673 moto, does it freeze there?

 

[Ollie]

Need a small ditch to drain so water dosnt flow over to start . Disk it up repack maybe some lime soil stabilization, then lay some geo mat down and some fresh gravel

 

[Spud_Monkey]

This should help
https://kerrcenter.com/using-old-conveyor-belts-to-prevent-erosion-on-gravel-ranch-roads/

 

[CM1995]

IMO first and foremost the drive needs a proper crown and side swales to drain the water away from road. The drive might need a cross pipe or two. Water mis-managemnt is the biggest foe of gravel roads. That needs to be done first in order to dry the sub-grade out then a wear surface can be installed.

What kind of crushed stone, crushed concrete or asphalt millings do you have available locally?

 

[terex herder]

Its going to require money to fix that road. It needs elevation, ditches, and crown. Anytime the road surface is lower than surrounding grade it requires a tremendous amount of time and effort to keep the road passable. Depending on the layout we can't see you maybe able to pull enough dirt while grading ditches to build the roadbed sufficiently high. But this is a dry weather project. They can buy rock short term, but trying to do work during the rainy season will be a very expensive lesson in futility.

 

[skyking1]

^ all that. Road in hole is a misery pit. fixing it with native is dry weather work.
if I had to fix it today I'd have a drainage plan, ditch and pipe, roll out fabric and run some big rock over it. all that is a big bill.

 

[673moto]

Thanks all!
Definitely waiting for dryer season, no rush.
It does freeze here but not a deep freeze... usually just freezing temps overnight.
Slope is indeed 12 degrees... only at the last 100’ or so.
I know there is both recycled asphalt and concrete available but not sure on grade or condition.
The only geo-grid I’m familiar with is for retaining walls... what other products are there for stabilization?

 

[Spud_Monkey]

Thanks all!
Definitely waiting for dryer season, no rush.
It does freeze here but not a deep freeze... usually just freezing temps overnight.
Slope is indeed 12 degrees... only at the last 100’ or so.
I know there is both recycled asphalt and concrete available but not sure on grade or condition.
The only geo-grid I’m familiar with is for retaining walls... what other products are there for stabilization?

2" - 3" crushed rock for base about 6 inches to a foot followed by some crushed 1" or 3/4" +/- on top to smooth it out. I have twice as steep drive way at around 24 to 30 degrees and mine has held up in this clay and torrential downpours without geo-grid, though is advisable for it.

 

[Tinkerer]

If you go with recycled concrete inspect it very carefully for small pieces off reinforcing wire in it before buying it.
I spread many thousands of yards of it for highway subgrade.
In one week the semi's hauling it had 21 flat tires.

 

[Willie B]

Here, calcium carbonate in 1-3/4" drainage stone is my base. Lay it as deep as the budget allows. You want crown, 6" higher at center is best. I want a 15' wide travelled portion. A 2" thick layer of 3/4" stone will fill the voids in the 1-3/4 & seal for a layer of grinding from repaving.
Water is your worst enemy. Knotheads in two wheel drive are second worst.
Use 4 wheel drive & keep two tires in center of the road. Don't always drive on the right. Washboards are worst when drivers power up in the same wheel tracks.

A number of years ago Mount Washington auto road was 15? miles long & steep as a calf's face. They had all day traffic & roads were perfect. They had a drag made of dozens of push broom heads. It kept the washboards out without tearing up compaction.

 

[cfherrman]

I've helped to build a ton of roads, put down the fresh gravel and get a very heavy truck to push it down, then treat it with water and drive over it some more, repeat till happy. Don't put so much water on it that your spinning tires or sinking, just a little coat. The non water stuff in the water makes the gravel hold together.