O/T Road behind our place

Our property has a main road in front, and on the side. There is a dirt road across the back that connects the two main roads. There is a dust problem because part of the road is dirt. My daughter and her husband live in a small house right on the road, as well as my two grand daughters. I take in a lot of dust on my tractors, but I don't want my grand daughters to be breathing dust when they don't have to. I planted some trees and this stopped a lot of the dust, as tht trees came all the way to the ground. The city comes along and prunes the trees way up. Now the dust is a problem again. I contacted the city, and they will do nothing, because they call it a public road, but not maintained by the city. The city road dept said they will not pave it, but the people who live on the road can have it paved to stop the dust. Any one have any ideas on what would be my next option. Stan

Buy some urea fertilizer and spread on the road. Urea draws moisture which will keep the dust down.

(quoted from post at 18:22:10 08/05/09) Buy some urea fertilizer and spread on the road. Urea draws moisture which will keep the dust down.

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Sand it. Seriously...what are you talking about? 600 feet or dirt road?
Not all that much traffic? Sand the hell out of it..

take the box blade out there and make some speed breakers. Is the road named or is it just a road that has formed from someone cutting across property? alot can come into play if you own both sides and the city won't maintain it

spray the road with calcium chloride and water. the salt will act as a binder to keep the dust down, and also firm up the road. when i worked for the township road dept, we would spray calcium chloride mix over fresh graded and rolled road mix stone, then tar and chip over that. made a real nice road.

You Said---I contacted the city, and they will do nothing, because they call it a public road, but not maintained by the city.

Typical government. Left hand doesn't know what the right one is doing. What is worse is the left one don't even care what the right one is doing.

OK! They are either maintaining it or they are not. If they say they don't maintain it then tell them to stay off. How can they say they don't maintain it if they are trimming trees???

I guess it all depends on who maintains it. If the city plows the snow and grades it when needed, then they are the ones to call. If its a township or county road that is under control of said county, then you spoke to the wrong entity. If this road has a name, and its listed on a map, then there is someone who controls it. The give away is if there is speed limit or information signs provided by someone.
You can spray on the calcium cloride and tar oils. Most of the towns around here leave it to the homeowners to provide the dust control solutions and place the cost upon the owners as well.
Like someone else said, if you are indeed in an area of your control and its not a public road, then fire up the backblade and plant speed bumps. If you are on a road that is not claimed by your town/city, then technically there is no speed limit on it either. For the safety of the families on that road, I'd stick something out there that will keep the speeds down before something happens to your family members.
We had a few that placed logs in the road with signs that said travel at your own risk at each end. It would also be considered private property where your homeowners insurance would have to cover accidents to your road. Thats another angle that most don't think of.

How big of a fight do you want? If you don't want to open a can of worms just plant some pines or leland cypress between your tress you have and back towards the house some to fill in the gaps. If you are up for some head knock'n find you a good lawyer, if you can't find a good one find one that likes have'n their name in the paper. With a little luck John T will be by in a little while and give you some of the best free advise you can find.

Dave

Calcium Chloride. No more dust.

Rod

Call the state EPA...Dust is to be controled...that's when the fight begins.

Crop oil and water or soy oil I have a neighbor that uses soybean oil and his road is packed down it looks like payment no dust.

Time to find out who exactly owns the road, maybe it's you?
You can blockade it, install toll booths, what ever you want.

I've got 2 pieces of land with the same type deals. The plat says a road dedicated to public use but has to be maintained by the owners. These are in rural areas so maintenance even on township roads is a minimum. County ordinance tells what wording has to go on the plat so they are all done alike and you know up front that your responsible before they approve the plat. Good thing is they don't make you pay taxes on the road.

You didn't say whether you planted the trees on 'your' property or on the right of way to the road. If it's just a dirt road is there a right of way and if so how much. If so the city had the right to prune the trees if you planted them on public property but if there's not a right of way then the city should be liable for damages incurred (to the trees) from cutting/pruning trees on your property. My thinking would be to simply move the trees back a little , replant, and let them do their job.

Beyond that just think about it, how many of the guys on here are in their 50's, 60's, 70's, or more and have farmed and breathed dust all of their life out in the fields? Except for very exceptional circumstances a little dust isn't gonna kill anybody prematurely. Even so I understand your worry about your granddaughters, we all worry about our kids, and kids in general, but in the end, unless they have major allergies, etc they both have noses and that's what our noses are designed by mother nature to do, filter out dust and other particles that would harm our bodies and turn them into b00gers. So, do what you can to cust down on the dust and if you catch them picking their noses don't give them too hard of a time...

Real issue is "who's maintaining the road?" If they pruning their maintaining! Next question--Is the city grading the road? The township?
If it's a dirt road and the vehicles are going fast enough to raise dust then wash board is developing. That slows the vehicles down unless someone grades it. AND THAT'S MAINTAINCE!

In michigan its not "public property" but a right of way for the county,usualy they ask before they prune trees but they dont have to,also they can work on ditches if they feel the need.But we pay taxes to the midle of the road and own to the middle of the road

Watch out using Calcium chloride or oil or your problem will really begin. You will have the EPA on you for polluting and the fine would be large. Find out who really owns that area. If it is you nail them. Find out where the propety line is and plant on your side of it.
gitrib

Couple of 55 gal. Drums hooked to a valved cross bar pipe with drilled 1/8" holes in pipe,find source of used engine oil and spread on road as dust gets bad. Put barrels in back of PU truck. Thats what we did on a dirt road which had an occasional vehicle go down it. We got the oil at a our shop and neighbors etc.Now it is a township road and graveled and they spread calcium chloride when called about dust.Find a contractor who does the calcium chloride thing and have him wet the dirt down each dust season.

Stan, check your property deed and see if there is a right-of-way on that side of your property; and have your daughter do the same..A plat book should also give you some information on a right-of-way, if one actually DOES exist??!! Next step would be county documentation... Curious also to the length of this so-called "road" and how many people use this road as the only access to their property... The reason I ask is because I had one idiot cut through my yard and caught his rearview side mirror on our tree swing; ripping it down....my yard is not a road...

I remember the good 'ol days when the highways dept used to spray used oil on dirt roads. That seemed to work pretty good. Just don't get caught doing it today...... (that means, do it at night LOL)