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How To Prevent Gravel Driveway Erosion

gravel driveway erosion

Gravel driveways are one of the best ways to cut costs when installing a new driveway, but they are susceptible to erosion. You’ll need to perform regular maintenance to prevent gravel driveway erosion. That way, you’ll get the most out of your investment! 

How To Prevent Gravel Driveway Erosion

Do you need to know how to prevent gravel driveway erosion? We’re here to help! Read on to learn about our gravel driveway maintenance tips, plus some information about repairs and the perfect tool to keep your driveway in tip-top shape year-round.

Follow These Five Steps:

Step 1:

Start by constructing your driveway with crusher gravel. Typically, crusher gravel will form a more compact surface and resist erosion. 

Step 2:

When you apply the gravel, form a crown in the center of the driveway. It should be higher in the middle and taper out to the sides. The crown’s height will help divert water from the center of the drive to the sides and reduce erosion. 

Step 3:

Install water bars along the driveway at a 30-degree angle to the road. Water bars are cross sections of the driveway fortified with treated lumber and rebar spikes. They help divert water to the sides of the driveway, thus reducing the likelihood of erosion. 

Step 4:

Dig trenches along the driveway and line them with gravel or vegetation. They’ll catch water runoff and prevent erosion over time. 

Step 5:

Plant absorbant shrubs or trees along the gravel driveway to help soak up excess water. It will prevent runoff channels from forming and erosion from occurring. 

How to Repair a Gravel Driveway After Erosion

Over time, it’s almost guaranteed that your gravel driveway will lose volume due to gravel displacement and pressure from vehicles. To prevent major problems and costly repairs, it’s best to perform routine maintenance and make repairs when you notice damage has occurred. 

Perform Routine Maintenance

Walking your driveway regularly with a rake in hand while keeping your eye out for potential issues is best to do periodically. If you spot any stray objects that shouldn’t be there (trash, leaves, limbs, other debris, etc.), go ahead and rake those out. 

Scrape off any soil buildup that occurs along the sides of the driveways, replace any missing or misplaced edging, and fill any depressions up with fresh gravel. If needed, you should also reshape the crown. 

Take matters into your own hands, add an inch of new gravel to your driveway annually, and compact it down after spreading. This will help prevent major erosion from occurring. 

Make Timely Repairs

As soon as you notice any significant damage to your driveway, such as depressions, channels, or areas of gravel thinning, you should take action immediately and make any necessary repairs before erosion worsens. 

Evenly distribute what gravel is left, rake any displaced gravel back onto the driveway, and fill all the grooves or potholes with freshly crushed stones. Using a rake or shovel, level the area, and compact it down with a compactor or drive your vehicle across it several times. Lastly, restore the driveway’s crown. 

Invest in the Best Gravel Driveway Maintenance Tool

Gravel is a fantastic driveway solution, but it requires some maintenance. Take matters into your own hands and invest in the Agritek Driveway Scraper.

The Driveway Scraper is available in multiple sizes and easily attached to your tractor or mower to safely maintain that steep gravel driveway. It has front blades to smooth out high spots, while rear blades use the material from those high spots to fill in any low areas, ensuring everything is even once you’re done. It works on both flat and contour surfaces.

If you’re interested in the Driveway Scraper, give our team a call or contact us online for more information. 

The material and information contained on this website is for general information purposes only. You should not rely upon the material or information on the website as a basis for making business, legal or other decisions.