Rainwater washing out my NEW road

[Boeing]

HELP...!!!
I had a new road cut thru forest last Aug.
I fly airplanes for a living and know very little about roads. At this point I frankly think the developer has done me wrong. The contract called for an "all weather road with culverts and broad-based dips as required"
There is ONE culvert and no broad based dips. When I inquired about this he said that we had to wait for some rains to see where they would be needed. In the meantime he wanted all the road escrow money released to the contractor as "he has finished his work and worked hard" I didn't know any better so I agreed to pay him and now the developer will not answer my calls or E-mails.
Soooo, here I am trying to figure out how to correct this big 3/4 mile long problem. The road enters off a paved state road. It is flat for about 100 yards as it passes a high slope where a power-line crosses then it starts gradually climbing and is climbing very steeply near the top. The road climbs almost 1,000' in 3/4 of a mile.

The first problem is right inside the entrance gate. The land has a power-line coming off a high slope on the left and water apparently runs off that slope and has made two little (4") rivulets across my new road and has left deep gooey clay mud whenever it rains....or melts.
Next issues....
Up the hill there are several washouts where water has come off the high side slope and washed across my new UNPACKED, thinly graveled road. Deep 8-12" gouges and canyons across the road....gravel gone.
I have several stretches of 8 foot high sides and 20 foot slopes on the downside as it climbs the mountain. The slopes both up and down are bare and "gulleyed"
As I mentioned the road was cut last August. It was Sept when it was graveled then in Oct. a culvert was added to the "dry" creek that crosses the road fairly low before it starts climbing. The gravel is thin and was never packed. The sides were never seeded, nothing to stop water runoff.
There has been NO traffic on it and last week was the FIRST time that I have been up there to see it.
I am pretty disappointed and need info on where to start.
Advise and comments would be appreciated.
Rob

 

[beenthere]

A road needs ditches on the sides for water to run (and it will only run downhill ). A crown to the road so the water runs to the side ditches especially on the uphill or downhill slopes.
From the ditches, into a culvert if it needs to get back across the road. Then off to wherever down is at, eventually to a stream.
I'd start with a letter to the contractor, developer, copies to your lawyer, and to the local officials (county, town, or state). Pictures to go with. No email or phone call. Too easy to ignore those. A well written letter with copies is the place to start. IMO
These things breed Gov't controls and reasons for zoning and building codes. Thanks to the fly-byes.

Some erosion would be expected depending on time of year.

 

[Egon]

Legal advice may be the way to go.

 

[MarkV]

Rob I think you are starting to see the price for the "great view at the top of the mountain". I own one of those and the road is an on going maintenance chore.

The short answer is the water has to be off the road to save the gravel. That is done by creating a crown in the road so water runs off, creating ditches so the run off water has a place to go and putting in culverts so the water can go down hill when the ditches can't move it.

I sure hope you are not the only property owner that has to gravel a 3/4 mile road. I found gravel to be one of my biggest unexpected expenses.

MarkV

 

[tommu56]

Rob read this link it has a lot of info on building roads

A Landowner's Guide to Building Forest Access Roads - Introduction

tom

 

[Ford tractor]

Write the letters as advised above,but give them 15 days to communicate their plan to correct it and 30 days to commence the correction. Tell them on day 31 you will be getting the road fixed using a different contractor and will bill them or sue them for the costs. Then do it.


Don't hold your breath, they played you and probably won't lift a finger to do anything other than open a beer and laugh. Plan on court.

 

[RickB]

When my wife and I moved into our first home on a steep shared driveway, my (quite) older neighbor told me as I graded the drive: "Boy, if you take care if the ditches, the road will take care of itself". I have found that to be very sound advise.

 

[Boeing]

Guys,
Thank you very much for the sound advice. I have sent the SECOND E-mail with photos to the developer; with no response. Next week I'll send a registered letter and speak with an attorney.
Other than that.....several have mentioned DITCHES on the upper side of the road. (I presume that the LOWER side does not need a ditch?) I have a front end loader with a 4' bucket?? . I guess I can gouge out a ditch 4' at a time. The "crown" would just be deeper gravel, right?
I am looking into "hydro seeding" to get something growing on the upper banks to slow the water down, right now it is raw dirt with developing gulley's where runoff is intense. I threw out lime and grass seed last week but it may never stay there to grow.
This is a private road and is all mine to maintain and pay for.
Thanks again, Rob

 

[radioman]

You really need to get a ditch dug out on the high side. I really can't comment on the low side as there are no pics. take heed to all the little "creeks" across your driveway. This is where you need to install a culvert for sure. Same goes for all the gooey clay mess area. You most likely need a culvert there to give water/gooey mess to go somewhere.

A crown in road means the road peaks in the middle so water has the shortest distance to run off the road. Look at it this way- if the road is 20 ft wide with a crown, water has to travel up to 10 ft on either side to the ditch. Less washing out. a ditch is only merely a means to let water travel along side of road instead on the and around the road.

Digging out with the FEL is doable, but takes a steady hand. How wide is the road? Do you have room to cut in a ditch with FEL and backup safely without falling down the hill?
Is the high side safe for you to drive with tractor one side of wheels off the road? perhaps you could get a box blade and use the tilt feature of of 3 pt arms to cut in a ditch.
This would make your ditch maintainable in future as simple as using the box blade again.

 

[tommu56]

Some times it is better not to crown the road just cut it to the high bank ditch it to the culvert under it. The reason I say it if the down hill shoulder is soft or too steep or no cover to take the run off it can wash out.
Again this is some times not every time,
It is better for a little water to flow all along the whole length of the edge of the down hill slope if its solid and wont erode than dump it all in one spot with the culvert.

again the manual i put the link in to has a lot about it.

tom