Driveway Material

[Jeff A. Smith]

My new shop is 1900 ft off the main road. I currently have the driveway done with white gravel. They are dusty beyond belief in the summer months. My truck looks too much like a sugar donut. Plus, they wash out in heavy rain. Every year I have to have a few loads brought in.

I've got a quote for an asphalt job for about as much money as my truck is worth. I'm seriously considering going for this work.

Has anyone found any pitfalls with maintaining asphalt drives? A lot can happen in 1900 feet... Cracks, weeds, potholes, and who knows what else. Can anyone give me any warnings before I sign up to have this done? Any "you will regret that" kind of advice? I know I can't afford concrete, so I think my options are:
1) Ashpalt
2) Chip and Gravel (no one around North Alabama does that privately, I'm told)
3) Creek Gravel (less dust, potentially, hard to find these days)
4) Stay with white gravel.

Thanks!
Jeff

[Yonak Hawkins]

Jeff, I've heard some good things about limestone gravel. Can you get it where you're at ? It might be worth checking into.

[Bill Dufour]

I have heard oyster shell is good for roads. But they closed the only oyster farm in California a few years ago. Claimed the boats made too much noise and scared the fish.
Bill D

[Larry Frank]

I would go with gravel for a few years. It packs down and makes a great base for asphalt. My driveway was gravel and slag base for 15 years before I could afford asphalt. It made a very stable base.

With asphalt you will need to keep the weeds and grass out and also re-seal it every few years.

[Lee Schierer]

In your part of the country asphalt should work just fine. As I understand the process tar & chip is done over a asphalt under layer. At least that is how they did our road. Asphalt is not without its headaches. It needs to be resealed periodically to prevent long term degradation and it needs a good base of gravel.

[George Bokros]

I also would suggest limestone.

[Justin Ludwig]

You'll need close to 120cu yds to cover the drive 10' wide with 2" deep of rock. I'd order 1-1/4" crusher run limestone, unwashed. The rock will cost you $3-4k. Having it spread is another cost you'll need account for if you don't have your own equipment. Good 10 wheeler drivers can "tail gate" most the rock and a box blade on a tractor could level it out and smooth the bumps.

This rock packs well and shouldn't wash out too quick, but that depends on many factors.

[Ole Anderson]

Do not use round river run gravel, it is like driving on marbles, if you use gravel, make sure it is a crushed product or has enough fines to bind all of it together. Consider using crushed recycled concrete or RAP (recycled asphalt product). Don't use just asphalt millings as they can contain large chunks that are a PITA. And I would pay to have the gravel compacted with a vibratory roller before the first rain, or you may end up with mush.

As far as asphalt, longevity will depend on many factors including drainage, what soils are beneath it and the asphalt mix itself. Seal coating has limited value, but crack sealing keeps water from infiltrating the base.

Talk to several asphalt companies in your area, tell them of your concerns and ask what design and mix will be the best and what cost trade offs there will be. They will know soils in your area.

I live in a sub, so my drive is only 70' long. After one recapping, I finally tore the asphalt drive out out and installed concrete and never looked back. You would need to own a concrete company to want to do a 1900' drive in concrete though.

[Scott T Smith]

You'll need close to 120cu yds to cover the drive 10' wide with 2" deep of rock. I'd order 1-1/4" crusher run limestone, unwashed. The rock will cost you $3-4k. Having it spread is another cost you'll need account for if you don't have your own equipment. Good 10 wheeler drivers can "tail gate" most the rock and a box blade on a tractor could level it out and smooth the bumps.

This rock packs well and shouldn't wash out too quick, but that depends on many factors.

^^^ This. We have thousands of feet of roads here on the farm. What I would advise is that you have any organic matter (topsoil) removed first from your road, and then backfill with 6" - 8" of crusher run (also called ABC or Road Base). Grade it so that it has a slight crown in the middle (very important for longevity), and compact it with a smooth vibratory roller. 8" of loose crusher run will compact down to around 4", and that will last forever if you have good drainage away from the road.

If you want to dress it up some, put a 1" layer of washed limestone on top (3/8" - 3/4").

An asphalt drive is only as good as the base that's underneath it. If you don't prep it properly, you'll have potholes, cracking and other long term maintenance problems. A crusher run driveway put in as described above will also serve as a compacted road base in case you ever decide to pave it.

[Dave Cav]

I had about 900 feet of driveway at my last house. The base was heavy cobbles (6" or so) covered with numerous lifts of both 1 1/2 and 5/8 minus crushed rock (that is, with the fines). It didn't have enough crown, and every year I had to spend a fair amount of time with the tractor filling in potholes. I always kept a pile of 5/8" minus around for that purpose. The biggest problem was constant rain (Pacific Northwest) and lack of adequate drainage. In the 15 years I was there I had fresh lifts dumped along the full length three or four times and it always eventually sank enough to have low spots without adequate drainage.

Also, if you get enough snow to have to plow, a snowplow or scraper blade will really mess up a gravel driveway.\

I'm in the process of building a new house in Utah. The driveway will be much shorter (125 feet or so) and it's going to be asphalt for ease of snow removal.

[Jim Becker]

MY ~400' of driveway is crushed stone (called 3/4" modified in this area). It works, but it requires somewhat regular maintenance. If I stumbled on the funds to cover the cost, I'd go to asphalt for easier maintenance (including winter efforts when/if we get snow) and to eliminate the dust we currently have when it's dry out. 1900', however, is a LONG driveway! It's got to be done correctly and that includes, as others have mentioned, a proper, compacted base and a quality installation with a good asphalt mix for your area. It's also got to be thick enough to properly support the loads that will travel on it over time. Near the road, it likely needs to be thicker for some number of feet, depending on your local and state highway regulations. 4" is required here in PA when abutting a state highway, for example for 4-8'. (I forget the exact distance)

[John Lifer]

Had a 300 foot drive up hill in MS. Couldn't keep gravel on it. Finally got asphalt on it and in twenty years, no holes and I roller coated sealer twice. Still in use by new owner. I've a 500 foot drive now that is flat. Prior owner put down about 20 years ago, roughly same age as my o
D home. It needs sealing, but it won't get done for another year or two. Only a couple of cracks from tree roots. Have good rock base up here, MS had no rock in ground. If you have decent base, asphalt if you can afford it.

[Jeff A. Smith]

Thanks to everyone for some really invaluable insight. I will find out in the next couple of weeks what my final quote looks like and will post the outcome of my decision. Again, thanks!

[Charles Lent]

If you are having wash outs now, you need to look into better drainage of those areas before you go with asphalt. Any place that is settling or changing shape needs to be dug out and then filled with gravel, then compacted. Asphalt will hold up well if the base is stable.

Charley

[Roger Bull]

I would strongly suggest considering concrete for the sections prone to damage.

Concrete will hold up much better than asphalt as I'm sure you know but cost can be extreme. I get 235 yards of concrete for 10' wide and 4" thick. We poured 60 yards at my parents home last summer and thought that was a big job.