What to Put on a Gravel Road to Control Dust

[ultrarunner]

Remember when Nevada oiled the roads and every filling station sold oil and tar remover…

 

[Windblown]

What I've used in the past is frowned on these days...

I try to wait until after a good long soaking rain to re-grade gravel roads so that the moisture is already in the dirt/crusher run and enough traffic hits it before it dries out. That seems to avoid a lot of dust and the dreaded marbles effect which quickly turns into washboard as the drivers spin up their tires going up every hill.

 

[scootr]

What I've used in the past is frowned on these days...

I try to wait until after a good long soaking rain to re-grade gravel roads so that the moisture is already in the dirt/crusher run and enough traffic hits it before it dries out. That seems to avoid a lot of dust and the dreaded marbles effect which quickly turns into washboard as the drivers spin up their tires going up every hill.

Grading when wet is rule #1. Wheel rolling to pack repositioned material is rule #2. Driving slow and easy makes it last.

 

[paulsharvey]

Look for a contractor that will "prime and sand". The material isn't that expensive, the trucknis very mobile, the problem will be a paving company that has the time to do it.

You use about 0.3 gallons/sq yard. Then use a sand spreader truck to spread sand on top. Honestly, you are 3/4 of the way to chip seal, and it might be worth getting some competing bids on that. It "should" be in the neighborhood of $5.25/sq yard. Prime alone, I'm thinking $1.75/sq yard. Prime and sand, probably $2.25/sq yard.

That's all assuming no base prep, MOT/TTC, and that you aren't 50 miles or more from the asphalt plant.

 

[paulsharvey]

BTW, I'm not saying it will be cheap. 6600 LF x 16 ft wide= 11,725 square yards. If it's 12 ft wide, is still 8800 square yards.

So, figure, $20k-27,500, for priming. Or closer $46,200-63,000 for double application chip seal.

 

[paulsharvey]

To the guys spreading Calcium... that seems insane. You are paying good money, 4 times per year, for something that is actively attacking your vehicle.

Track less tack, (not the right product, but a more expensive product that Special MS asphalt emulsions), is $6/gallon. You can buy a 50 gal barrel, for like $350. Rig that up with a IBC tote, a sprayer bar, and do 166 square yards. Or 12 wide, 120 ft long.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Grading when wet is rule #1. Wheel rolling to pack repositioned material is rule #2. Driving slow and easy makes it last.

Just a little background here.

No one wants to pay to put anything on the road, let alone my costs to plow & grade it. I'm the only one with the equipment, have the best house and the most acreage. Therefore, it's my "responsibility" to maintain the road. If I weren't concerned about my property value, I'd let it turn to sh**!

It never ceases to amaze me just how many people there are who want something for nothing. Only one or two are bothered by the dust and they say it's my responsibility to fix since I did the grading. If I didn't regrade, I'd get complaints about the washouts & potholes. It's a no win situation.

I knew when I bought farmland at the end of a private road, I was going to have to maintain it. I don't really mind doing the work, but houses have since been built along the road and by default, I'm the department of public works.

To minimize complaints, I always grade when wet. This year, rain was in the forecast but it missed us. No rain for the next 5 days and the dust was just terrible! Got a contractor to spread calcium flake on the trouble spots for $400. That was cheaper than my cost to buy & spread it myself. The complainers agreed to pay half and I knocked on doors for the rest.

All is quiet now until next time.

Sorry about the rant.

 

[paulsharvey]

Just a little background here.

No one wants to pay to put anything on the road, let alone my costs to plow & grade it. I'm the only one with the equipment, have the best house and the most acreage. Therefore, it's my "responsibility" to maintain the road. If I weren't concerned about my property value, I'd let it turn to sh**!

It never ceases to amaze me just how many people there are who want something for nothing. Only one or two are bothered by the dust and they say it's my responsibility to fix since I did the grading. If I didn't regrade, I'd get complaints about the washouts & potholes. It's a no win situation.

I knew when I bought farmland at the end of a private road, I was going to have to maintain it. I don't really mind doing the work, but houses have since been built along the road and by default, I'm the department of public works.

To minimize complaints, I always grade when wet. This year, rain was in the forecast but it missed us. No rain for the next 5 days and the dust was just terrible! Got a contractor to spread calcium flake on the trouble spots for $400. That was cheaper than my cost to buy & spread it myself. The complainers agreed to pay half and I knocked on doors for the rest.

All is quiet now until next time.

Sorry about the rant.

I would make a point of not maintaining the front end of the road for a few months, and just drive nice and slow. Then at the start of your line, or maybe past the last enemy driveway, do a nice job. Don't say anything, just let the actions do the speaking. If someone asks you, tell them you'd be happy to do their frontage for $90/hour.

 

[paulsharvey]

Also, you mentioned property values. Unless you are actively trying to sell, you want your value as low as possible, for lower insurance and lower taxes. Then, when starting the sale plan, maybe you do spend a few hundred on the road, but until then, you're not helping yourself.

 

[paulsharvey]

I'm towards the front of our easement road, and there are maybe 20-30 people down stream of me, including a animal preserve/zoo/money laundering outfit (my assumption, don't know that). I will spend my time, but not money on the front 1/3 mile. I'll knock down the wash boards, fill some holes with material from other parts of the road, but I'm not gonna buy rock or clay or anything.

If others would buy the material to "sweeten" up the worst of the sandy areas, if be happy to do the work, spreading, grading, ect; but I'm not gonna spend $475/load to benefit others