Road Building Advise

TXCYCLE · Dec 30, 2013

Hello all,
I need to build a road appx. half a mile long to a home building site on my property in central Texas. I know there are a ton of variables but here's my questions:
1) The normal roadbase used around here is caliche, I know distance to the pit will have a bearing on cost but anybody have any ideas or advise on what depth of roadbase to use? Width of road?
2) This is a regional question but anybody who has driven on the white caliche common to these parts knows it's dusty when dry & messy as heck when wet. Any suggestions on some kind of gravel top layer to minimize this? Other ideas?
3) I know it's a pure WAG but anybody want to take a stab at cost? No brush to clear, flat land, road will run on side of an old cultivated field that's been in grassland for 40 years plus. No low spots, water or seeps.
Thank you, I welcome any comments/advise/suggestions!

Papasmirf · Dec 30, 2013

First: do your dirt work by building your drainage on both sides and crossing if needed. The barrow ditched work well and are easily kept up and mowed in the future if you make them shallow and wide. This way you minimize future erosion and you don't have to hang on for dear life trying to maintain or mow.
Secondly: as you are building your drainage I would build my road two cars wide and crowned on the middle. Always maintain this crown and you'll road won't deteriorate by standing water.
Third: I would build your caliche 6" min. Then put on at least a 4" to6" layer of 21/2" crusher run. Those two are your base. Drive on this for 3 - 6 months. Then cover both at least 4" to 6" with 11/2" crosser run gravel. I have had that road on this and another 25 acres for 30 years and is almost, but not quite maintenance free.
Fourth: after all this, if you can find a local company that will sell you asphalt that has been taken up from some road or highway project, put another 6" of it down. One heck of a road that will always be there with good drainage. Good luck

TXCYCLE · Dec 31, 2013

Thank you Papasmirf. Good to hear from someone who's been there done that. The gravel size will help me sound at least a little informed when I talk to a couple of the road builders around here. The old asphalt idea is a good one, every road in Texas seems to be under construction right now. A friend of mine topped a road with recycled asphalt shingels that had been chipped up and had all the metal removed. Made a heck of a road. I like the "it's made it 30 years and is almost maintenance free" part. I want to do it once & be basically done. My box blading leaves a lot to be desired!

MossRoad · Dec 31, 2013

If you have any steel mills in the vicinity, look into slag for your road. Its cheap, and its shape and texture makes it lock together better than any rock chips. It just plain stays in place and won't get pushed out by tire traffic.

Papasmirf · Dec 31, 2013

I started my road with a good base and 2" to 21/2" crusher run. Everybody drove on it for about a year. Keep us sing the angle blade to roll the edges to the center and then just barely put the blade down and not angled to knock the top off and make a flatter crown. Then the next year I added about 6" of 11/2" crusher run. The total cost at the time about $4000. Then bought the chipped up asphalt and contracted a grader to lay down another 6" for another approx. $4000. Also spent $1700 on a neighbors road and two years later they moved in the middle of the night and never paid. Good luck to you.

ustmd · Dec 31, 2013

TXCYCLE,

I can feel your pain. Every summer, I watch our road disappear in clouds of dust. We have about 3/4 of mile of road to maintain. Last time I bought base, (last year), it was $250/semi load. The price of base can fluctuate day to day depending on demand.

I would go for 4-6" of base as a min. As for a top dressing, I am trying a test run of pea gravel now.

Papasmirf · Dec 31, 2013

If you'll get the "screenings", not dust but uniform very fine flat gravel, tell the drivers to chain their gates open a out 2" and drive. When they are done you will have vey little work left to do. Now see if the county will allow oil tank haulers to dump their salt water on your drive. The salt water will make it like concrete. Works well.