Castle Quest - Reply to Topic

Forum:	Building Blocks
Topic:	A Road Up A Hill... and then some!

Want to register?

Who Can Post?	Any registered users may post a reply.
About Registration	You must be registered in order to post a topic or reply in this forum.
Posting Tips:	You will receive a much better response to your questions if you include your age and as much detail as possible. Both of these things allows a person to give you an answer specific to your question and age group.
Your UserName:
Your Password:	Forget your password?
Message Icon:
Your Reply: HTML is OFF UBB Code is ON [IMG] UBB Code Not Allowed!
Options	Show Signature: include your profile signature. Only registered users may have signatures.

If you have previously registered, but forgotten your password, click here.

*If HTML and/or UBB Code are enabled, this means you can use HTML and/or UBB Code in your message.

T O P I C R E V I E W
duncan What do you all think the mix should be on this application,
A sandy/dirt road up a one mile long hill with a sharp grade in three places, several curves, and no flat areas.
When it rains we lose the graded road bed and pretty soon I'll have to truck in fill soil if I can't get things stabilized.
I've got clay, in fact about 4 kinds ranging from bad to good, oh yes..., did I mention the fact of plenty of sand from the bottom lands near the stream?
I'm thinking of a mix something like this after the road has been prepped by our heavy equipment:
4 Lime
3 Sand
1 Ground good grade Clay
2 Lime Pozzalon
4 water
The mix will almost be a wash when it is evenly spread out.
My goal is not so much of a "road surface" but to stabilize the soil to decrease runoff and to make it some what harder.
A better road built in the old fashion will come later on a different part of the acreage and is only a half mile or so to a hard topped public road.
It'll need at least two double arch bridges for water crossings and some work on a couple of hills, so my present concern has to be soil conservation on this one hill side.
What do you all think of the mix, any ideas hints or suggestions for something better?
I'm interested in your thoughts on this.

------------------
Megan and Ralph at
Castle Duncan,
Medieval Discussion Forums
May those who love us love us
And those who don't love us
May God turn their hearts,
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
May He turn their ankles,
So we'll know them by their limping.
--- Irish Proverb
Erik Schmidt Most private roads on steep grades around here are concreted, but there are plenty of public dirt roads.
I'm in the tropics, so roads around here are made to withstand some pretty heavy rain.
There is one technique that is used extensively around here to prevent surface erosion, and that is to make small mounds across the road at an angle. These mounds intercept the water flowing along the wheel tracks and funnel it off to the side, preventing it from building up into running 'streams' and eroding the road surface.
The steeper the grade, the more mounds are placed. The mounds don't need to be very high and can be gentle enough that fast driving is still possible (60-80 km/hr).]
Also, the roads are angled off to the sides in many places to aid runoff.
I can't really comment on your mix, as I have no experience with that kind of thing, but I have noticed that some soils hold up much better in the wet than others, and many roads are covered with soils quarried from certain areas with the right qualities. I wish I could tell you what kind of soil.
Erik
duncan Although this is the main road for now it will become the secondary and will have less traffic later on. Right now it allows access to equipment that would normally tear up most roads.
Asphalt is used around here with concrete for the interstates or "M" routes. It's not even tarmac and is extremely susceptible to the weather with pot holes and cracking. It does ok I guess considering it was layed over graded dirt roads or cow trials really and the surprising thing is I'm talking about the state roads, or not so surprising after all.
Our road has been well cared for with cross over drainage and down slope water ways.
I'm looking into the small water bumps you spoke of to see if they will help.
The edge with the down slope has large rocks layed so a vehicle wont go over but slows the water and helps with the erosion problem there.
Not wanting to spend much on this road for now keeps me from topping it with something more permanent.
------------------
Megan and Ralph at
Castle Duncan,
Medieval Discussion Forums
May those who love us love us
And those who don't love us
May God turn their hearts,
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
May He turn their ankles,
So we'll know them by their limping.
--- Irish Proverb
Peter Hm!
Moving the water in the right direction is one of your problems as hinted. Although you say it well maintained, better ways of diverting the water away from bad points will help stablisation of the road structure.
One of the main points of Roman roads in the U.K. (some over very bad terrain) was their ditching, and making sure the final road bed was at least slightly above the surrounding ground level.
Yep ! I know all this is not always possible. Suggestion from Erik is used on many of the farm tracks around North Wales. With little streams safely going back and forth as side ditches carry the main waters.
We have had our water problems at 'Rose Cottage', with our walls being layed directly onto the clay. Reopening of ditches, making 'soak-aways' etc. has helped in pulling the water away from the main structure.
A problem indeed !