Dust control on gravel road?

[JimRB]

So this has annoyed me the last 13 or so years. Our short 1/2-3/4 mile gravel road always seems to have folks barrelling along kicking up dust. I live a 1/4 from the main highway so I am not in a huge rush. Idle in second allows the turbo to cool down in the vehicles. Anyhow some folks like to kick up dust. I saw some article that the county claims they do dust control. I have never seen a road in my county with dust control on it. So I doubt that I can get them to do anything so I was wondering if anyone has some practical ideas.

My well is up front so I don't have any desire to contaminate it. I see some comments about calcium this or that, soy oil, tree stuff but nothing that is more DIY. Road is only one lane, I maintain a fair bit of it as it is easier than calling the county who makes a mess anyways. A new to us horse is going in to quarantine for a few months up by the road and it would be nice if the horse doesn't have to eat a lot of dust. In my rambling way I did not say I only need to deal with a few hundred feet. Getting a few bags of calcium something and spreading it with a fertilizer spreader would be ok. I guess I might have to churn things up with the scrape blade or the pulverizer if I go that route. Looking for ideas.

 

[grsthegreat]

So this has annoyed me the last 13 or so years. Our short 1/2-3/4 mile gravel road always seems to have folks barrelling along kicking up dust. I live a 1/4 from the main highway so I am not in a huge rush. Idle in second allows the turbo to cool down in the vehicles. Anyhow some folks like to kick up dust. I saw some article that the county claims they do dust control. I have never seen a road in my county with dust control on it. So I doubt that I can get them to do anything so I was wondering if anyone has some practical ideas.

My well is up front so I don't have any desire to contaminate it. I see some comments about calcium this or that, soy oil, tree stuff but nothing that is more DIY. Road is only one lane, I maintain a fair bit of it as it is easier than calling the county who makes a mess anyways. A new to us horse is going in to quarantine for a few months up by the road and it would be nice if the horse doesn't have to eat a lot of dust. In my rambling way I did not say I only need to deal with a few hundred feet. Getting a few bags of calcium something and spreading it with a fertilizer spreader would be ok. I guess I might have to churn things up with the scrape blade or the pulverizer if I go that route. Looking for ideas.

Our association got some magnesium chloride stuff and spread it with a pto powered sprayer. worked great for entire season. Cant do any plowing though after its applied till winter time, or its all for nought. This stuff eats aluminum mag wheels though.....beware

other than that, vegitable oil is great, but spendy as all getout. we were getting bids of $2,400/mile for our roads, and we have 2-1/2 miles...yeiks.

 

[Soundguy]

one thing you need to find out, is it a public road or a private road... could also be a rpescriptive road.. etc. depending on style of road, you may be able to do NOTHING to it yourself..

if a county road.. forget the bandaid of dust control.

push for them to slag it.. once the slag and tar is down, cured, and the loose gravel swept.. it will almost as stable as an asphalt road.

soundguy

 

[CWOSCSU]

I was looking into the same thing and found a lot of good information on the U.S. Forest Service web site. They have tested a lot of different materials and have the method used to apply the material and results posted. Hope this helps.

 

[JimRB]

I have not seen them do anything but crusher run on any county road. They refuse to pave the one lane road. They would pave it but they insist it has to be widened to a full two lanes which is stupid for 10 taxpayers and they don't have that kind of money to waste, unless you are a bigwig.

Off to search some more at the forestry site.

 

[Soundguy]

sounds like it is a prescriptive road. to get anything done it may have to go thru a municipal assessment program.. or whatever your states/county version of that is.

soundguy

 

[Bigfoot62]

If you have access to a good, free water supply, that would be the cheap and easy way. Use a 2" gasoline powered pump, to draft water from a creek or pond, into a large plastic trailer-mounted tank. The water will gravity flow out. Make a diffuser with a 8' long section of PVC pipe by drilling holes in it. (1/2" holes about 6" apart) If you'll wet the road every two or three days, that should eliminate most of the dust, and there are no environmetal hazards.

 

[SpringHollow]

Contemplates a dusty road as he looks out at the 5" of snow on his own road

 

[crbr]

Tough problem to resolve and keep everyone happy....

 

[PILOON]

Up here in Quebec they are using wood resins that they drip spread with a tanker truck.
One application kinda lasts the summer.
Works very well.
The resin solution is considered Eco friendly.