iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Advice on Building 1 Mile + Long Mt. Road with 5 to 7 deg. Gradient

Started by H60 Hawk Pilot, October 26, 2009, 07:03:54 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

H60 Hawk Pilot

I need to build a good road that I can use year around to the back 46 acres of my property.

I just aquired this 46 acre add-on property to my 1st piece of 115 acres. I have two connecting roads that get me back to the 46 acres but not great roads in the winter. These two roads are really steep in places and if it.. sleets, ice or a layer of snow.. then down the hill you will go. The only counter to this is chains and well plowed road with sand to stay alive. I plan on moving into this back 46 acres and living there year around in the mt. cottage that's already there. I might move there this year but need to watch the weather and maintain two places if the roads get bad during the PA Winter.

My question(s) pertain to the best methods of dirt road building for year around roads in PA.   

Here's some of my initial... ideas and desired results.

The road will be long & straight and have no more than a 7 deg. grade with a desired slope of 5 degrees.

I have walked the intended roadway with a GPS and layed out a true course and marked it with orange markers.  Three places will require cross way drain pipe where the terrain is vee'd along the side of the small mt. (or high hill).

I plan on giving the road a --  2 to 3 degree slope to the inside for added safety and water run-off control. Additional drain pipe will be added along the roadway to carry the water down the mt. side (inside), best guess is (1) 12 inch. cross pipe per 200 feet or so.

The soil is Shale and is about the same over the entire property. I want to take additional shale and layer it on top where necessary and really pack it down with my 8 ton  roller. I'd like to keep the cost's down and not buy tons and (use my shale) tons of gravel for the top cover of the road.

After, the road is completed and in use, I'd be looking to adding give away material from road jobs during the summer (I've done this to the other roads).. 

Again, looking for advice/ ideas/ actual experience with your road building.


Avery

Case 1150B & IHC TD-340 Dozer's, IHC 4WD 3800 & CAT 436B Hoe's, Franklin 170, Semi's: (1) Freightliner, (2) KW's, Marmon, Mack w/ Prentice Ldr., F-700 Crane Trk., (6) Mid Size Trk's. - Dumps, Flats, 1 Ton w/ 40 ft. 5th Whl. & (4) Semi Tlr's., LM 2000 Mill, (2) XL 12's., Solo 681, EFCO 152, Old Iron.

Sawyerfortyish

Just a thought I'm 3/4 of a mile off a paved road and my hills set so the sun works for me and melts them out. Plow the road or disturb the snow and the sun melts it out in a short time it doesn't even need to be above freezing.

Ironwood

Avoid pipes when possible. More structures means more maintainence. If it is gravel intially, the pipes will fill w/ sediiment. One of the slickest ideas I have seen is from a developer near Lockhaven, he uses dug up stumps to slow water on the discharge side of the pipe preventing down slope erosion. Also look into free concrete slabs from contractors and create your up slope pipe gathering areas (forget their proper name, collectors?) from eroding. I have a VERY steep 1/2 drive that I have built myself. My motto is "let nature do the work", so I have it sloped to the inside and have let mother nature erode the inside berm down to the bedrock (I didnt have hoe to dig it out intially). I kept cleaning out the sediment and now it is stable and I "paved " it w/ asphalt millings. You may need to spread some petroleum products to reemulsify the tar (i'll PM ya)

You may want to check your local county Conservation office for free consulting, here in Pa. those programs are fairly strong and there is usually a Hydrology/ Soil Conservation Specialist on staff. FYI. Mine is Jim, we talk on occasion. There should also be a Forester there also, Just in case you know someone w/ a sawmill who may need logs.  ;D

          Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

BaldBob

If you do need to use pipes for cross drains, go no smaller than 15" dia. (preferably 18" ) anything smaller is too difficult to keep from plugging up.   You can cut down on the amount of sediment going into the pipes by making sure the catch basins at the head of the pipes are deep enough and of an adequate size. Also be sure to have AT LEAST a 3-5% slope from the intake to the outlet to help keep the pipes clear.  The plastic pipe (ABS)  is generally cheaper than CMP, and, unlike CMP,  the length necessary for most low standard forest roads can be handled by 1 man.

If you can use armored (rocked) rolling dips instead of culvert you will drastically cut down on maintenance and they also help for safety in icy conditions. Insloping and letting nature cut your ditch is fine IF its not too far down to bedrock.  However if the water has too long a run and it's a long way down to bedrock you risk under cutting the cut slope and creating slides into the road or alternatively cutting into the road bed itself.

Many state forestry departments have booklets and brochures to guide landowners on properly building and maintaining forest roads. I suggest you check with your state forestry department.

Ironwood

Let's just say bedrock is CLOSE and we're glad we're not farmers (family would starve), as there is little topsoil.    Good point though.

Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

Thank You Sponsors!