Question
Hi, I live in Michigan. We have a problem with flooding in our driveway. It is a dirt drive, about 300-400 feet long. We have lived here for 6 years and have not done anything to it in that time. When it rains, the whole thing gets muddy--too muddy to drive on. We end up driving on the lawn so we don't get stuck. What do you recommend that we add to it to help reduce the flooding? We were thinking of adding more dirt (?) to it this spring. What type of dirt/rock/?? should we look into and how thick a layer is best?
Thanks, Brenda

Answer
Hello,

You might want to consider using soil cement.  This paving is formed by mixing portland cement with the soil on the site.  Heavy clay and highly organic soils do not make good soil cement,but soil cement can be made from a wide variety of soil types. The soil must be tested to determine the proper cement and water ratio.  This ratio is critical for constructing a successful soil cement pavement.  Soil cement would be cheaper than concrete or asphalt.  It is durable and highly resistant to water and frost heave.  It is sometimes used as an underlying base for highways and other types of pavements.

Another option would be to simply use a layer of gravel about 4 inches deep.  You might have to excavate soil for this or perhaps you could construct a curb to contain the gravel.  Concrete or asphalt would require an underlying drainage base of gravel and for your length of driveway may prove very expensive.

Stone may be an option if its cheaply available,but stone is usually a very expensive option. It must be layed on a gravel base. The thickness of the stone must be at least 4 inches and it must be layed on a gravel base of at least 4 inches thick.

The driveway must be properly drained to protect the paving material and so steps must be taken to achieve adequate drainage such as crowning (making the driveway higher in the center) or constructing drainage ditches on the side.

Macadam (also known as tar and chip) paving is cheaper than concrete or asphalt.  This is a bed of crushed stone or gravel that then has a layer of asphalt poured over it. A thin layer of stone is then rolled into the surface to fill voids.

A recycled asphalt product (RAP) would be even cheaper than Macadam.  This consists of crushed asphalt,crushed concrete and crushed brick.

I do not think adding more soil to the driveway will solve the problem. That soil would also get muddy,although perhaps a bit less.

Gravel would probably be the least expensive option and after that,soil cement. Soil cement would be more labor intensive than gravel. Basically the gravel would just have to be layed and rolled,but the cost of bringing it to the site may cost  more than transporting the portland cement needed for the soil cement.  However,the recycled asphalt may prove to be more economical than soil cement since it may be more durable.  Good luck. Write back if you have further questions.

Mark Harshman
http://www.mahdrafting.com
Email: [email protected]

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