7 Benefits of a Dirt Road Maintenance Plan

Having an active dirt road maintenance plan in place will make certain that the public works or roads team is addressing the maintenance and care of these thoroughfares on a regular basis. When a dirt road maintenance plan is created and utilized, there are many benefits, some obvious and some not so obvious. Here are 7 Benefits of a Dirt Road Maintenance Plan.

1. Planning = Equipment is Ready
   If the plan is in place and utilized, shop personnel know that they need to make sure that the dump trucks, blades, and rollers are ready to go. They prepare the equipment for road grading and aggregate addition where needed. A plan will help them be ready for the change in seasons.
2. Smoother Roads = Less Wear and Tear
   A road surface that remains tightly bound and stable won’t need to be bladed as often. It will require much less blade maintenance and be less damaging to trucks and other vehicles traveling the roads.
3. Planning Ahead = Easier Scheduling
   Dust control and road stabilization season is a busy one at Desert Mountain. With a consistent road maintenance plan in place, we get the product ordered and get you in the schedule when it works best for you.
4. Consistent Treatments = Less Product
   Roads that are treated consistently (quarterly, bi-annual, or annually) enjoy a build up of our road stabilization products and less product is needed in future applications. Our products work to bind the fines and other sizes of aggregate together. With repeated treatments, it builds up and less product is required.
5. Cost Savings = Reduced Gravel Loss & Less Water Used  
   According to the Federal Highway Administration, “Studies have shown that as much as one ton of aggregate per mile is lost each year for each vehicle that passes over a road daily. This means that a road carrying 200 vehicles per day will have a loss of 200 tons of aggregate per mile each year.” The consistent use of road stabilization and dust control solutions will keep more of the aggregate on the road versus on the edges or even on the slopes beside the road. And if a water truck is being consistently ran, those costs will add up. With stabilized roads, water applications can be cut down 50% or more. That’s a significant number – especially during drought years.
6. No Dust = No Fines
   For active industries like mining, construction, cement, or aggregate that have heavy equipment or other high traffic, the fines add up quickly. The spring and summer storms bring high temperatures that dry everything out and winds that will make it impossible for a water truck to keep up. Roads and tailings treated with our products will hold in place better.
7. Regular Road Maintenance = Long Term Improved Road Quality
   When dirt roads get regular maintenance that includes a stabilization product either mixed-in or applied topically, roads are not improved just in the short term. Long term benefits include reduced potholes, wash boarding, and reduced skid resistance.

What do you consider an important part of your dirt road maintenance plan? Share your priorities with us! Want to learn more about our services and products? Contact your regional sales representative here.

Desert Mountain Corporation – Keeping Roads Safe Since 1990!