Driveway Rebuild Suggestions

rebelback · Mar 25, 2015

I have a driveway that is roughly 70 yards long. It has become mostly dirt over the years. After all of the snow we saw here in South Arkansas last month it has now developed several long 8"-12" ruts that I've had to smooth out the best I could with a shovel and hoe. It is now starting to get dry enough that I can get my tractor out and repair this thing. I'm thinking of ripping the entire thing up several inches, laying down some BAB (bottom ash blend from coal power plant) for the foundation, and then putting some SB2 on for the top layer. Would this be a good combination? How deep would should I dig out the drive? How deep should each layer be?

My ground is mostly red clay with gravel mixed in it. The drive is on a slight slope that may require runoff across the drive.

EddieWalker · Mar 25, 2015

First step is to address drainage. Why is there ruts on the road? Do you have standing water? Where doe the water go when it rains? If you do not get rid of the water, it will never stop causing you trouble. I have dirt roads on my land here in East Texas that the US Army built in 1942 that are still flat and fairly smooth because of how well water drains off of them and away from them.

Figure out where the water is crossing the road and get a culvert in there. You might have to dig a ditch and a collection area to get low enough to go under your road. Back in the day, they said a man could dig one ditch per day with a shovel when installing culverts. If you don't have a backhoe or excavator, or access to a renting one, there is always the old fashioned way.

Once you get the dirt work done, it's really important to get it compacted. I like to use my tractor with a full load of dirt in the front bucket to get it as heavy as I can. Then I drive over it multiple times until I can't see any sign of the tires sinking into the dirt anymore. Usually I have to add more dirt to areas while doing this because some areas will sink more then other areas. Then I smooth it all out and go over it again. You really can't put too much time or effort into getting the dirt part of this done right. This is the cheap part of building the road.

Not knowing your ash blend, but thinking it's similar to the slag we can get here, I would be hesitant to use it for anything. The problem with it is that it breaks down with usage. The more you use your road, the quicker it breaks up and deteriorates. For a gravel road/driveway to last, it needs to be made up of rock in a variety of sizes ranging from a couple inches down to fines. It has to have jagged edges so it will lock together and it needs to be 4 to six inches thick.

Once the gravel is spread, it will take awhile to compact. Usually it takes a bunch of water to really get it hard. Right after a big rain, it will probably feel squishy, but then after driving on it, it will harden up real nice.

Good luck,
Eddie

paulharvey · Mar 25, 2015

I agree with Eddy about drainage. Not knowing this BAB, I'm assuming it's a type of fly ash like product. If that's the case, it should set up and actually hydrate (what Portland cement does; concrete and cement don't "dry"); turning to a hard, consolidated base.

Is the rutting caused by water flowing down the driveway, or from compaction in the wheel path? If it's compaction, I would attempt to level it out first, then add at least 4" of your base material.

If rutting is caused by flowing water, then you need to make sure your drive isn't the low point. You either need to build the driveway up, higher than the shoulders, with a mild crown (paved roads are general 2% crowned, I think the forestry service goes about 6% on there sand clay roads) or cut swales and crown the drive.

Another cheap, but workable method might be to simply fill your ruts with the base, and make a two track drive, with a grass strip down the middle. I know a lot of guys on here seem to hate a grass strip but unless your plowing snow, I don't see the harm in it.

As with everything, budget and local prices are going to be major factors in what you do. If this stuff is a waste product, and you can get it Cheap, I would probably build your drive up with it. If it's expensive, and your budget is limited (who's isnt) I would probably fill the ruts with it...

And why the heck does Auto correct think "Swale" isn't a word?

Edit: if it is like fly ash, your going to need a lot of water as you work it, and make sure it's compacted and shaped how you want it before you leave it sit for long. Think of it like soil cement.

The Suburban Farmer · Mar 25, 2015

EddieWalker said:
First step is to address drainage.

+1 to this. Our driveway is on a hill, and until I addressed the drainage issue, nothing seemed to "last" with one section of our driveway... and it was asphalt, not gravel. I ended up cutting a shallow ditch along the side and installing a new drainpipe under the driveway at the low point. That fixed it right up.

This year, even with the crazy amount of snow melt and rain we've had, there has been zero problem. The section I dug up to put the drain pipe is just some dirt and gravel since I didn't have it re-paved before winter, and it didn't move a bit. Hopefully, it will be resurfaced in the next month or so, but I'm glad I took the time to address the drainage issue first before paying to repave something that wasn't going to last.

rebelback · Mar 25, 2015

The ruts are being caused by the wheel path of us going in and out. We had some slight dips in the wheel path from years of use and zero maintenance, but nothing major until we got about 15" of snow in 2 weeks time. We usually get 0"-3" or so a year. There were a few pot holes that would hold water for a day or so, but nothing like this. The ground around here just became too wet after all the snow melted off.

I believe the BAB is going to be similar to fly ash. I have never used it, but know others who have. It is supposed to set up fairly hard. It is a by product of the coal plant about 30 minutes from my house.

paulharvey · Mar 25, 2015

deltabowhunter said:
The ruts are being caused by the wheel path of us going in and out. We had some slight dips in the wheel path from years of use and zero maintenance, but nothing major until we got about 15" of snow in 2 weeks time. We usually get 0"-3" or so a year. There were a few pot holes that would hold water for a day or so, but nothing like this. The ground around here just became too wet after all the snow melted off.

I believe the BAB is going to be similar to fly ash. I have never used it, but know others who have. It is supposed to set up fairly hard. It is a by product of the coal plant about 30 minutes from my house.

Sounds to me like you could add 4" of BRB in the rut; compact, add another 4" and compact. I'm guessing it's around $3/ton at the source, more like $300/load delivered? Bring the base material up about 1" higher than the surrounding grade. Make it at least 24" wife per wheel path to allow wider/narrower vehicles. It doesn't sound like this material will wash badly, and your just "bridging" over the wet clay. Expect to loose the first 4" in the clay... you might need to add additional material in a few years.

If you want to do the entire driveway, 210 ft long by 10 ft wide, your looking at 93 tons give or take for 8 inches thick. If you want to go this route, you need to "box out" the driveway first; cutting approximately 6" deep the entire width and length (~40 cubic yards), then dump, rough grade, and compact the first "lift" of 4-6"; then spread, grade, compact, and fine grade the top lift; making sure you have a crown in it. It's all doable with a loader and a box blade if you have time, an alternative access, and a helper.

Edit: you want to remove any material that is "pumping" or moves under your feet. that's true for boxing out the whole drive way or just doing stop repairs ect.