Crushed rock driveway laying technique?`

[markmc]

Newbie question here. Pretty soon I will be installing a culvert and then laying a 500ft+ crushed rock construction driveway. I want the driveway to eventually be permanent (havent decided if I will leave it as crushed rock or put blacktop on later???).

I was intending to the use the boxblade to take off the top surface of grass (having second thoughts on this part) and then put cloth on the dirt. Then I was going to spread the crushed rock along the length of the driveway and then compact it.

Anyway, this thread is to ask the "pros" what is the best way to do all this. The ground is level with loose grey sand covered with a very light layer (if you can call it that) of bahia grass. Grass is so sparse that wheel ruts can easily cause the grass to "disappear" if that makes sense?

1. Will piling crushed rock onto loose sand be okay? I just had a thought that leaving the light layer of grass might be a good thing (adds compaction) since the sand is so loose...what do you think?
2. How neccessary is the cloth underlayment?
3. Was thinking of 4" to 6" of rock...is that enough?
4. What is the best techinique for having the dump trucks delivery the rock...where should they dump and how should I move it....looking for specifics here...even photos if you have them.

I look forward to the replies, thanks guys!

 

[Renze]

I would certainly remove the sod before putting anything in, and level the roadbed a bit, to get an even depth of the rock layer.

 

[speedy67]

How wide are you planning on making the roadway? Not that it really matters, but wider adds to the overall cost. It sounds as if you have a free-draining subgrade, but over time that will not be the case. I think you should consider building a road profile...that is to say, an elevated portion of traveled way with ditches on each side. that way, the traveled way stays high & dry....especially important if you are planning a paved surface in the future.

If the roadway id for your own personal use (no frequent heavy loads) then as long as the grass is not too thick, I see no harm in incorporating it in the roads structure.

You mention 'crushed rock'....is this what some call 'clear' stone - no sands in it, just coarser rock? I'd recommend a 'road' gravel or base gravel, something with an even gradation and a fines content of around 8 to 11 percent, that way it will compact well. Don't forget that it will need to be watered to some extent during grading and compaction, or else it will segregate (stones separate from the smaller sizes) and the moisture aids in tightening all the sizes together easier and better.

After you get this compacted nice and tightly, (a month or so) then consider a thin (2") layer crushed clear rock on top as a wearing surface - something that will push into the gravel and not be nearly so dusty or pick up on the tires when wet.

 

[easygo]

I can only tell you about how it's done in Maine. People doing this own or rather rent a bulldozer to push out about 8-14" of the topsoil or clear off the ledge if has soil on it. Into the desired road path they dump a mixture of larger rocks with fine material as mentioned above. Usually then they let it sit for at least two good rains and a few weeks/months of use for setting and compacting. Than they apply the top layer of finer (1" or so) crushed rock. It is always a good idea to make a ditch at least on the uphill side of the driveway for proper drainage. I believe the cloth is there to prevent the rocks from getting pushed into the dirt or the dirt to squeeze up between them. It gets VERY muddy here in the sprig. Start from the access point to your new road from the existing roadway. Have the trucks back in and dump their load one at a time. Level the pile with the machine of your choice (bulldozers are popular) and have the next truck back over that. They will do a very good job of compacting the freshly spread gravel. That is what two people did recently near my house. The large rocks make a rougher road, but it will be nice and smooth when you spread the small crushed stuff. This may be way too much trouble for the road building requirements in your area, but that is the way in the North. Good luck

 

[2manyrocks]

I think the previous poster generally summed it up pretty well. What you specifically need to do depends on your soil and your site conditions. There are some technical and information bulletions on this site that might help you. http://www.dirtandgravelroads.org/

 

[George2615]

I had my stone driveway put in 17 years ago. The contractor dozed out about 6 - 8" deep first, then the dump truck brought in and spread about 6" of bank run. The dozer levelled it out and compacted it. It was watered and compacted again. Then they brought in crusher run (chip stone with dust) and spread that about 4-6" thick on top of the bank run.
That driveway lasted me 17 years. This past summer I noticed quite a few wet spots developing in the tire track areas of the driveway so I had another 60 plus tons of crusher run dumped and I leveled it out about 4-6" thick with my loader and back blade. I expect to get another 17 years or so.
I did not use cloth underlay and the delivery trucks will spread as they dump so you just have to fine tune it.

 

[tony123]

Most important step here (as said by others) is to scrape down to subgrade and get rid of the topsoil.

I have 550lf of gravel drive, and couldn't imagine removing the topsoil with my boxblade. In my case it was about 10" deep and would have taken a years work without the dozer (which did it in about 4 hours).

 

[jbrumberg]

After ~15 years of dealing with the ruts and mud and getting vehicles stuck in the "driveway" during "Mud Season" . I finally had a heavy equipment contractor remove 170 yards of NE dirt/clay/rocks which he replaced with 180 yards of geotextile fabric, ballast rock, and a topping of ~4"-6'' of crusher/river run on my 150' driveway and also the turn arounds. All I need to do now is maintain the driveway . In a couple of years I will add more crusher/river run like previously posted. Geotextile material really helps minimizing the "hydraulic pumping" that occurs during NE's Mud Season . Getting a bulldozer to do the heavy work saves a lot of time and wear and tear on the tractor.

Jay

 

[dirtworksequip]

You can build a road just about anywhere.The key is keeping it dry. Even a small amount of moisture will cause problems. Since your road will be across level ground you will need a swale on both sides to keep it high and dry. Spend a little extra time and money and do it right the first time and you will save tons of money on not needing to buy and add stone every year. 4 inches of stone is way too thin,even with fabric.Fabric is somewhat expensive and I would rather put the fabric money into buying extra stone. Don't skimp on your stone just because you are planning on using fabric. 6 inches of stone minimum,8 inches is even better.

Sincerely, Dirt

 

[wushaw]

I would see what your neighbors did first. Then go from there.