Muddy Driveway Problem

[AndyMA]

I believe you need to remove all of the loamie tupe mateirial that turns to mud. Probably about 3 feet down until you hit solid subsoil from my experience. At that point I would put in a drainage pipe, bill the area with large 5-8" rock and then bank run gravel. Apply a layer of farbic and then finish off with about 12" of process gravel (above grade)

Of course all bets are off of you hit a spring, even one that is only seasonal. Then some serious drainage is required.

Andy

 

[Slackdaddy]

This is not going to solved with 5 tons of stone.
The drive way is lower than the surrounding lawn.
Raise the driveway, with 3-6" stone about 3-4 loads (88 tons),
top it with some 3/4" stone, then add some road millings.

The 3-6 stone pushed down till it hit hard base, then I was able to build on that.

But really 5 tons aint going to get you any where, kinda like buying 10 - 2x4's and a sheet of plywood to build a house ?

 

[CrazyQ]

Thanks for the replies. I already told my friend that he needs to think long term about solving the water problem. Short term, I'm trying to get him in the driveway (he's parking on the road now).

It sounds like I should have started with the 3"-4" stone. I guess I'll try some now and see if it helps. Perhaps I'm too late for geo-textile to help.

- Marty

Woven geotextile is great for road stabilization...you could use geocomposite too if you can find it cheap. Check around for "liner installers" in your area. If you can't find anyone ask some nearby landfills who they use for geosynthetic installations. Often the installers have scrap or left overs from jobs they would sell you cheap. You still need to get some good draining gravelly soil above the fabric and send the water away.

 

[jmfox]

I agree with the guys who suggest digging out the soil you're currently driving on until you hit sub soil (dirt that has no chance of supporting any kind of plant or die hard weed). Then fill with driveway material of your choice until you're looking down at the grass.

jmf

 

[irvingj]

Wedge40- unfortunately, ol' Bob passed away some years ago. Came highly recommended, and I think of him every spring after negotiating our muddy road (we even have an official sign now!), as well as after every torrential downpour and my driveway, though roughened, survives. I've had it worked on three times since '86, two of them fairly major "add material/grading jobs," but the base has remained solid.

Q-saw-- Picture only looks good because it was last spring and there was actually some green stuff around- won't be long now! It is a nice, quiet area. Hope you get your project fixed, sounds pretty much like it'll take some large stone to stabilize, and yes, get rid of water first. Good luck!

Here's a coupla shots of when mother nature wasn't quite so accomodating- last December's ice, a January storm. Only problem with driveway is that it's really a bear in the winter!!

 

[Q-Saw]

Wow - So many great contributions - thanks to all who have responded (or will).

9 ton of 3" crushed concrete has provided a very temporary "band-aid". I see now that quite a bit more crushed concrete will be needed, in addition to the topping material, and perhaps some geotextile.

Most important is the need for drainage, which is the first recommendation I made when I saw the situation. That will probably be best tackled in August when the water table is down.

Rule of thumb for culverts is that you need half the width of the culvert in material above the culvert for it to have it's full strength. Put in a 12 inch culvert, be sure to have 6 inches of material above it.

Eddie -- That's good to know - the existing culvert at the foot of the driveway is barely covered, and is exposed near the edges of the drive. My first impression is that the culvert itself was set too high compared to the ditch and the neighbor's culverts. I wish I had gotten a picture of the culvert.

Thanks again - Marty

 

[djradz]

Do you know if the soil/subsoil in this area is any different from the surrounding drive? If it's pretty much the same and not full of topsoil, I don't think you need to do anything other than raising it and providing adequate drainage. If raising it will at the same time provide the drainage, then that may be all that is required. Putting fabric down will help, but if it's simply going on top of soup, then both the fabric and topping will simply be floating. In a sense, you'll have cured the symptom but not the disease. If the area is full of topsoil, that has to be removed, but it it's not, I'd simply opt for building it up with the cheapest, compressable clean fill you can get. Top it off with something of better quality or stone.

Can you cut a ditch (that can run to some low point out of view) on either side to create an alternate low point for the water to migrate to, so as to speed the drying.

 

[Gittyup]

For sure, you need to raise the road higher than the surround grade, highest in the middle with ditches to channel the water away. The circle, though, looks like it too will need work once you build up the road. It looks like the circle is bowl shaped. At the front, where the circle conjoins to the straight away, you may need a culvert pipe crossing there with the inside of the circle contoured to channel water into the pipe. It looks like the best spot is the narrow lowest area to the right. Pipe would collect on the inside of circle and direct water from left to right into the right side ditch at about a 45 degree angle.

Several ways to fix this. But all of them will require a good bit of regrading, fill, and ditching. Do it right. Use fabric for quality and insurance. And you won't have to do it again.