Gravel Driveway Repair

Our home was built 10 years ago, and we have a gravel driveway. It is 700 feet long and runs through mature woods. There is quite a bit of water in the area, although it never floods the driveway. The base is crusher run. Over the years, we have tried various sized gravel and stone dust on the surface, but we still get many potholes each year. Before winter, I would like to have a more extensive repair done on the driveway, so I am looking for options I might consider. I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.

 

[MechanicalJoint]

Sounds like you've got some bad soils under the gravel

 

[jheidt2543]

A 700' long driveway is a lot of snow to shovel!

My suggestion would be to identify the worst areas and then put a geotextile fabric over the existing stone and add 6" -8" of crushed stone on top of the fabric. This is probably too expensive to do over the whole drive, but if you pick the worst areas, it should provide a good solution.

Good luck!

 

Yep! 700 feet is too long to shovel!

Should I fill in the potholes before putting on the geotextile fabric? What size stone should I use on top of it? Thanks for the info!

 

[jheidt2543]

Yes, fill in the pot holes first either by grading the entire width of the drive or just fill the holes with well graded crushed stone from 3/4" to 1-1/2" in size. Lay the geotextile fabric and place 6"-8" of crushed stone base course on top of it. It can be compacted by driving the delivery trucks or the loader over it as it is placed. If you hire this done, the contractor will use a compactor on it, depending on how much of the drive you repair. The fabric allows water to pass through, but prevents "pumping" of the subgrade up into the base, which is what causes the pot holes.

Good luck!

 

Thanks a lot!