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Implement Alley Discussion Forum

Building a road

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Mike S-Tex

01-24-2005 09:04:35




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I need to build a road 1/4 mile long-do I need to put ditches down the sides- if so can I do this with a rear blade with down pressure?How wide should it be?Money is also a question-but I know it will cost, can I get by on $3/foot?




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buickanddeere

01-25-2005 07:19:53




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 Re: Building a road in reply to Mike S-Tex, 01-24-2005 09:04:35  
The cheapskate previous owner here just put a few inches of gravel on top of the sod. Not recomended. Remove the top 6" or more of top soil depending on the type. Fill back to level with coarse stone and top with crushed driveway stone. Make the lane wider than 8" to keep from driving on and ruining the edges.



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buickanddeere

01-25-2005 07:19:37




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 Re: Building a road in reply to Mike S-Tex, 01-24-2005 09:04:35  
The cheapskate previous owner here just put a few inches of gravel on top of the sod. Not recomended. Remove the top 6" or more of top soil depending on the type. Fill back to level with coarse stone and top with crushed driveway stone. Make the lane wider than 8" to keep from driving on and ruining the edges.



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buickanddeere

01-25-2005 07:19:30




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 Re: Building a road in reply to Mike S-Tex, 01-24-2005 09:04:35  
The cheapskate previous owner here just put a few inches of gravel on top of the sod. Not recomended. Remove the top 6" or more of top soil depending on the type. Fill back to level with coarse stone and top with crushed driveway stone. Make the lane wider than 8" to keep from driving on and ruining the edges.



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Midwest redneck

01-25-2005 16:50:11




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 Re: Building a road in reply to buickanddeere, 01-25-2005 07:19:30  
Amen, My genius neighbor put down several hundred feet of fabric over grass/topsoil and then laid down small crushed limestone over the fabric, he was grading the ruts out of it for a long time. All I can say is do it right the first time so that heavy trucks can drive on it.



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KEG

01-24-2005 19:43:43




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 Re: Building a road in reply to Mike S-Tex, 01-24-2005 09:04:35  
The most important feature of a road that will hold up is good water control. Water is the biggest enemy of any road. Good side ditches and drainage is key. Once you get a roadbed that stays dry, the suggestions for a good roadbed have all been covered by the other posts.

So, if I had only one suggestion to make ... make your road stay dry!

KEG



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ShepFL

01-25-2005 07:25:47




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 Re: Building a road in reply to KEG, 01-24-2005 19:43:43  
Ditto to Keg's comments. Check out the link below. You can download the PDF file for review while sitting in the easy chair with wife and kids gone. YEA RIGHT!!

Anywho, read it and you may find it helpful. Also check the archives on this site for "ROADS", DRIVES, DRIVEWAY etc. to capture alot of other good comments. I am in the process of temporarily updating my drive to improve drainage. As I get more $$ I plan to redo the entire thing using geotextile mesh under crushed limestone.

Good luck

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KEG

01-24-2005 19:39:55




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 Re: Building a road in reply to Mike S-Tex, 01-24-2005 09:04:35  
The most important feature of a road that will hold up is good water control. Water is the biggest enemy of any road. Good side ditches and drainage is key. Once you get a roadbed that stays dry, the suggestions for a good roadbed have all been covered by the other posts.

So, if I had only one suggestion to make ... make your road stay dry!

KEG



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JT

01-24-2005 17:07:35




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 Re: Building a road in reply to Mike S-Tex, 01-24-2005 09:04:35  
When I put in my driveway, it was over black soil. We put about 4" of CA6 over it when it was frozen. Cold do same if was really dry. Drove on for 3 years, then oiled and chipped it 3 years in a row. We have excellant drive and did not dig at all. It is now high enough that we do not have water stand in it and with the oil and chips, we have no drive maintenance at all. Probably oil and chip again this year. Kinda pricey, but sure makes a nice drive with NO dust after the first couple of years.

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JT

01-24-2005 17:07:11




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 Re: Building a road in reply to Mike S-Tex, 01-24-2005 09:04:35  
When I put in my driveway, it was over black soil. We put about 4" of CA6 over it when it was frozen. Cold do same if was really dry. Drove on for 3 years, then oiled and chipped it 3 years in a row. We have excellant drive and did not dig at all. It is now high enough that we do not have water stand in it and with the oil and chips, we have no drive maintenance at all. Probably oil and chip again this year. Kinda pricey, but sure makes a nice drive with NO dust after the first couple of years.

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kyhayman

01-24-2005 14:27:51




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 Re: Building a road in reply to Mike S-Tex, 01-24-2005 09:04:35  
South Texas covers a lot of area, if you are in the wet part I would ditch it (we have to here). If you are in the dry part you would be better served by someone with experience in that climate.

Was it me and under that kind of budget I'd either hire a small dozer or skid steer on tracks or rent a small dozer or skid steer on tracks. I built a 1/4 mile of access road with a 14' wide concrete slab bridge and culvert for just un $4000 hiring a JD 450.

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MARSHALL

01-24-2005 13:37:16




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 Re: Building a road in reply to Mike S-Tex, 01-24-2005 09:04:35  
I PUT MY 1/8 MILE DRIVEWAY IN 5 YEARS AGO. I DUG OUT ABOUT 18 INCHES OF BLACK DIRT, PUT IN FIELD STONE(IT WAS FREE) TO THE TOP. THEN I DUMPED ON SOME SAND JUST TO LEVEL IT OFF AND THEN PUT ON ABOUT SIX INCHES OF GRAVEL. IN THE FALL FARM TRUCKS(SEMI) RUN OVER IT AND IT HAS HELD UP WELL. I WOULD DO IT AGAIN THE SAME WAY.



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Rick Kr

01-24-2005 12:51:38




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 Re: Building a road in reply to Mike S-Tex, 01-24-2005 09:04:35  
Mike,
We did a driveway 800 ft long. Just as said below. We peeled back the top soil almost 2 foot down (use to be a tilled field). In this 800 foot hole we filled it with sand and "rip rap" which is roughly 5-6 inch concrete chunks. Some rip rap is actual limestone, but in Michigan most is recycled concrete. You will see it around bridges, culverts etc. After driving on this a while (8 months of construction and concrete trucks), we covered it with 6 inches of 2" crushed concrete. We then graded the topsoil along the edge of the driveway that we peeled back originally. The driveway is about 1 foot above grade with a nice slope from all the topsoil. One side is lower and had to be ditched, the other side was fine.
It is around 11 feet wide.
This driveway is solid as a rock, my neighbor built the same time and just keeps dumping rock onto the topsoil, it keeps sinking.
Cost approx = sand $1800, crushed concrete $2200.
This was two years ago and no problems.

Rick

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BobinKY

01-24-2005 09:45:25




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 Re: Building a road in reply to Mike S-Tex, 01-24-2005 09:04:35  
If your road is going to be built on any slope at all, you definitely need ditches wide and deep. You will need to get a box scraper or a bulldozer to push off the topsoil and get down to some solid ground. Then lay down a double layer of #2 stones and run them in for a week or two. If you have a low spot where there is a potential for water to stand or cross, and the use of a culvert is not indicated, lay them extra heavy here and run them in. Come back over that with 1157's and spread them about 2"thick. Run them in for about a month. If you still want a smoother road, come back over that with dense grade stone (crushed stones) and spread that about 2" thick. Run your truck, tractor or any rubber tired vehicle back and forth a number of times to pack the dense grade and you should be good to go. I did this on a very steep hill here in Kentucky and it did rather well. I still have some wash in a heavy rain and I need to get my boxscraper and pull my rock back up the hill, but each time I do, the road seems to become more solid. I hope this helps. I am no expert, just speaking from experience. I have heard from other guys that they have had good luck with asphalt that has been taken off of a road, ground up and sold as fill. I have not used this yet. Maybe somebody else can comment on that.

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Dale(MO)

01-24-2005 14:52:05




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 Re: Building a road in reply to BobinKY, 01-24-2005 09:45:25  
Here in East Central MO, we only have about 3-4 inches (in the good spots) of topsoil, so I usually try to go an inch or two below that, then 6" of 2-3 inch crushed limestone. I prefer the 2" minus (contains fines), because it packs well enough to drive on in a short time. The 2" clean, you have to be careful not to get too thick, because you'll need a wrecker to get out until it locks together. After it settles in, I put about 2-3" of 1" minus and grade it out with a little crown for drainage. A lot of people want 1/2" clean or 1"clean to top it off and make it pretty. The 1/2" works the best around here. As far as milled asphalt, it works well for a base. I haul asphalt for a living, and I get to mill a lot. The most important thing about using millings is to go at least 2-3" deeper than you would with crushed limestone, and spend some extra time grading to work in and break up the big lumps. A dozer works the best, as the tracks help pulverize the lumps, and it's easier to keep smooth grade. It settles a lot more than crushed rock, so it's best to get it at least 2-3" above your original grade. After it settles in, I like to top it with the 1" minus. I never regrade the base (2" or millings) after it has settled - that usually leads to soft places, as it has to resettle after being disturbed. But the main thing is to get below the topsoil with your base, then make sure your finished road is higher than original grade. 12 or 13 years experience has taught me a lot. Good luck!

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old

01-24-2005 09:17:27




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 Re: Building a road in reply to Mike S-Tex, 01-24-2005 09:04:35  
Well as far as ditches it will depend on how much water/rain you have to deal with. I retired from being a dump truck drive and help build a lot of road for the state and saw just about all there is to doing it. As far as how wide will depend on wheather you want to be able to have 2 cars side by side or if it ok for one to back up if one is comeing and the other going. If its just a drive way you may get by by putting a number of loads and raiseing up the area. If you want more info from me, e-mail me

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