Maintain a road on a yearly cycle: in spring walk every road, clear ditches and culvert inlets, fill potholes and restore the crown; in summer cut back vegetation and do any major construction; in fall inspect before the ground freezes and stock gravel for spring. A community of 30 people giving 5 days each provides 150 person-days a year, enough to keep 5-10 km of gravel road in good condition, which is 15-30 person-days per kilometre.
Part of Road Construction Basics
A repeating spring, summer and fall programme of inspection and repair that keeps drainage working and the road surface intact.
The Calendar Follows The Water
A road fails when water gets into it. The parent article’s schedule puts the main inspection when water has done its work, after the thaw or rainy season, and the main repair before the next one. It also says road maintenance is community work: historically most societies required every able-bodied person to contribute several days a year to road work (corvée labour).
What You Need
- A walking crew — two or three people for the spring inspection.
- A tally sheet — a list of every washout, pothole, blocked ditch and damaged culvert, with its position.
- Gravel piles — stocked at problem spots in fall.
- Hand tools — see Essential Tools.
- Labour allocation — see Labor Allocation.
Method: The Yearly Round
Spring (after thaw or the rainy season)
- Walk every road. Note washouts, potholes, ditch blockages and culvert damage.
- Clear all ditches and culvert inlets.
- Fill potholes and ruts with gravel and compact. See Pothole & Washout Repair.
- Regrade any section that has lost its crown. See Road Crown & Camber.
Summer
- Sprinkle water in dry periods to prevent wind erosion of the surface (dust control).
- Cut vegetation that encroaches from the sides.
- Use the dry ground for major construction projects, the best time for them.
Fall
- Make the pre-winter inspection. Fix everything before the ground freezes.
- Check that all drainage is clear for winter rains and snowmelt.
- Stock gravel piles at problem areas for spring repairs.
Worked Example: Labour Budget
Inputs, from the parent: 30 people, 5 days each per year, keeping 5-10 km of gravel road in good condition.
- Person-days: 30 × 5 = 150.
- Per kilometre: 150 / 10 = 15 person-days at the long end, and 150 / 5 = 30 at the short end, so 15-30 person-days per kilometre per year.
- For comparison, Gravel Road gives building a kilometre as a crew of 10 working 10-20 days, 100-200 person-days.
If your road network is 8 km, the parent’s rate implies 8 × 15 = 120 to 8 × 30 = 240 person-days a year. The parent’s 150 person-days covers it only at the low end of that range, and falls short of the upper figure by 240 − 150 = 90 person-days.
Common Mistakes
- Waiting for failure — a blocked ditch silts a whole road. Walk it every spring.
- Doing repair before drainage — gravel on top of a wet road is wasted. Clear ditches first.
- Leaving fall inspection to spring — frost opens cracks and washes out weak places. Fix before freezing.
- Spreading effort evenly — Road Construction Basics says focus on routes to water, farmland and trade partners first.
Safety
Flooded roads and spring washouts
After rain or thaw a washed-out section can be a drop of a metre or more, hidden by water. Walk slowly with a stick, mark every washout with a stake, and do not drive a cart over an unchecked section.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Pothole & Washout Repair — the main spring repair
- Combine with: Side Ditches — what to clear