Gravel versus red clay road vs combination of the two

[budepps3760]

I did a search for a previous topic of clay road versus gravel road but did not find any discussing this specific issue. I am currently getting my land cut of timber and will start building our retirement house next year on our land. I have use of an easement road for half a mile before I get to my property line. Half is red clay and half is large gravel. Originally I had use of the entire clay road but new neighbors did not want me to drive close to where their children will be building their future houses so they created a detour of large size gravel the size of your fist for about 1/5 of a mile to my line. The clay road is much smoother to travel and I am thinking about going back and laying a layer of red clay on top of the gravel base once the logging trucks have finished hauling. This road will be continued in the future for logging use of no more frequency of once every 10 years.

I will need to build a road to my home site of unknown length. I will survey the potential sites once cutting is finished looking at possible road locations on high ground, low spots for culverts and scenic locations to build. The previous red clay road mentioned was used by my parents since the mid 60's and held up very well especially since very little maintenance was ever done on it. At that time however we seldom used the road due to the property's distant location from our house. So I can't really say that the clay road was wonderful because of such little use. My question is which material makes the best road or does a combination work best when considering price, maintenance and longevity. I will be paying for a dozer to come in and clear stumps, lay down road material, culverts and grade and also to prepare home site area. I just want to do it right the first time. Setting aside $10,000 hoping that will be enough. I would appreciate any experiences you may have had in coming to this decision as well as maintenance thoughts.

 

[txdon]

Red clay is a good stabilize for my sand roads and I aways try to dig some up to mix with the sand. Too little and the sand is like beach sand when it get dry and too much the clay gets sticky when wet. With the right mixture and slope for draining the road is almost like a blacktop road.

 

[hosspuller]

Did the neighbors change the easement ? And did you agree to it ? Easements are a legal burden on the land. Be careful of changing them willy-nilly.

I've a few clay/dirt farm roads around my fields. They're fine when dry. Clay is slippery when wet. Gravel on clay will eventually sink into the clay when used as an all weather road.

 

[budepps3760]

We never had a written easement with the previous owner. When the owner died and his god-daughter inherited it they and their son-in-laws became real jerks. Ended up having to spend $15,000 in legal fees to get a written easement to obtain our rights under state law. Should never have had to come to that. Bad blood started when they wanted to change the original easement route and wanted me to pay for it. My response was why should I have to pay to change a road that has been in use for 90 years? Went downhill from there. But, I got the legal protections I wanted.

 

[tmajor]

One of the best things, I've found, is "1/2 modified" ... if you can get it in your area. It's a mix of 1/2" stone and smaller .. to sand. It will choke the larger stone and after a rain, gets like concrete. However, it can be worked up again for further repair or leveling. Plus, the stone and finer mix stay together, while moving it.

 

[justinramani]

I would use the clay as a base material. It will pack well - especially under the heavy weight of trucks. Over the clay I would lay landscape fabric followed by crusher run. The landscape fabric will help stabilize the road and reduce the amount of gravel that you lose to the clay.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

clay is not a surface road material. If you just dump gravel over clay it will disappear in short order. Any road material that degrades in the presence of water is a very poor choice. Even shale is only good for a temporary or dry weather road. Sturdy aggregate with correct drainage is not cheap but its the only way to get a road to last the test of time, weather, and traffic.

 

[ovrszd]

I think these discussions have sooooooo many variables that getting information beneficial to your application will be pure luck. Here in Missouri, heck, even here in my County conditions vary so much that different approaches are necessary.

I believe you are fortunate to have clay as a base. Your other choices would be black top soil, which is more of a sponge than clay. Or sand as others have mentioned which is worse yet.

I'd build a drainable roadbed using the clay. Compact it the best you can. Time is the best compactor, with traffic of course.

Then I'd overlay the established roadbed with whatever gravel that's commonly used in your area. A trip to the local quarry might get the best answer for that.

First, and most importantly, build a drainable roadbed!!!!! You shortcut on this part and it won't matter what type of material you build the roadbed from or what material you overlay.

Lastly,,,, in my area,,, fabric is a bad idea. Will eventually surface and then you can't grade the roadbed without snagging and ripping up the fabric. Not good.

 

[GLyford]

If the only thing under your clay is more clay, digging it out for a road doesn't make sense, you'll just have a gravel filled clay bowl. Piling it up higher than the surrounding and sloping it for drainage can be the way to go. And it sounds like for your weather and the type of clay you have, it mostly works, 90 years is a darn good run.

Heck I have seen videos of guys in SC swapping out "bad clay" with "good" clay from borrow pits on the same property that they then fill back in with the "bad" clay.

Especially if sand, stone, and gravel is to expensive to truck in, I'd say a good operator who knows your local soils will be able to tell you when the clay he's working will work OK, and when the stuff he is hitting won't hold up and it will be worth it to truck in something else.

What works for you and what you can find locally for reasonable cost likely won't be the same as what I need here in New England to handle frost, with a ready supply of ground up granite ledge a mile away, and our only available clay being a soft blue silt that holds water and turns to bottomless mush or fluffy dust at the least whim of the weather.

If your clay works, and is what you have, use it.

 

[crash325]

Decomposed granite, also known as DG, is classification of rock that is derived from granite via its weathering to the point that the parent material readily fractures into smaller pieces of weaker rock.[not verified in body] Further weathering yields material that easily crumbles into a mixtures of gravel-sized particles, that in turn may break down to produce a mixture of clay and silica sand or silt particles.[not verified in body] Different specific granite types have differing propensities to weather,[not verified in body] and so differing likelihoods of producing DG. It has practical uses that include its incorporation into paving and driveway materials, residential gardening materials in arid environments, as well as various types of walkways and heavy-use paths in parks.[not verified in body] Different colors of DG are available, deriving from the natural range of granite colors from different quarry sources, and admixture of other natural and synthetic materials can extend the range of DG properties.