Read this page if you want to know more about why we use the materials we use and do what we do when it comes to road maintenance and repair. We’re trying to follow recommendations in the “Gravel Road Maintenance Manual“, published by the state of Maine, although doing that “to a T” would require a complete rebuilding of the road, which just isn’t financially viable. So, we’re doing the best we can, and if you own property here, we’d appreciate your help with that.
Mary Ordway Road, Retreat Way, and Quigg Island Road were carved out years ago, with Mary Ordway Road being the oldest of the three, of course. As was common “way back when”, the road builders didn’t focus much on techniques and materials we now know to work best to build a long-lasting, generally mud-free road. Repairs made to the road in subsequent years were also generally completed with materials available in the local gravel pit. While that still happens in much of Maine today, those materials and techniques are also a major contributor to the infamous “mud season” that plagues much of Maine.
As with many Maine “camp roads”, bank run gravel has been the primary material used to build and maintain the roads leading from Tannery Lane out to Quigg Island, for years past. Bank run gravel is taken directly from a gravel pit, often with only modest amounts of screening. The gravel itself has been eroded and smoothed over thousands of years, so it’s rounded, like a rock in a stream. The result of using rounded gravel is that it doesn’t “lock together” the way crushed stone does. Bank run gravel also contains sand and silt, which turns to mud when significant amounts of water are present. Some quarry operators (usually those that don’t sell crushed stone) will try to claim that this sand and silt helps the gravel pack and stick together. That’s true to some degree in dry conditions, but once you add a significant amount of water, the result is mud, mud, and more mud. Sand+silt+water that can’t drain away because the ground underneath is frozen are the reason mud season occurs! The “Gravel Road Maintenance Manual” specifically recommends against using bank run gravel, for good reason. If you take away the sand and silt, and use crushed stone instead of rounded gravel, you can make the situation much better on a dirt road. That’s exactly what we’re now doing, and it’s working.
So, what are we using? Over the past 2-3 years, we’ve started using crushed stone instead of bank run gravel. Over time, crushed stone is simply a better value, with much better performance than bank run gravel. It costs a little more upfront (currently $435.16 for an 18-yard load, delivered) but it lasts much longer and doesn’t turn to mud nearly as easily as bank run gravel. In Maine, crushed stone used for roads is usually granite that has been run through a rock crusher. The result is stone that has sharp angles (instead of being rounded like gravel straight from a pit), which allows it to fit together and stay in place. The “fines” (small particles) are made of the stone itself, rather than sand or silt, so its consistency is closer to concrete than the mud created by bank run gravel. Again, this is the type of material specifically recommended by the Gravel Road Maintenance Manual, for good reason.
If we were building a new road, or had the resources to completely rebuild existing roads, we’d start with something like a layer of Type D stones (4-6″ diameter) to create a base, followed by a couple of layers of Type B stone (~2″ diameter) with a layer of “road mat” (a special textile designed for unpaved roads) sandwiched between them. We’d finish with a surface layer of Type A stone (about 3/4″ diameter). That would be a fantastic road! But we don’t have that luxury…
We did have to put in some Type D (large) stone in a couple of especially bad sections of Mary Ordway, out near the flat part of the road not far from the concrete bridge. 16″-18″ ruts were occurring there in March 2022, which was a very bad season. That stone was basically swallowed up by the mud, but it did the trick, and those sections are now much better. For almost all other repairs and to shore up most of the muddy areas, we’ve been using Type B (about 2″ diameter) stone. For our roads, this is a very good “all purpose” size in that it helps to prevent ruts and forms a more durable layer. It’s small enough to drive on, but large enough to provide a decent “mid-base” to surface layer, although it can be a little bit bumpy until it’s really worked into the surface.
To make the road smoother, Type A stone (about 3/4″ diameter/length) is needed as a surface layer. But adding that takes money, of course, and it’s not absolutely necessary. A decent layer of slightly smaller Type B stones is much more important while we’re still trying to undo years of bank gravel problems. If we get additional, sufficient contributions we would very happily add more Type A stone to make the road less bumpy. Absent that, well, we get what we get.
Speaking of contributions… We have received just three contributions toward the cost of purchasing stone this year (2023), totaling just $1,400 (one property owner contributed $850, another $300, and a third $250). And actually, $1,000 of that money was technically to help offset the stone purchased to make the repairs necessary after the just-before-Christmas storm in 2022, when the road near the Bell property completely washed out. So, in truth, we’ve received just $400 toward this year’s stone purchases!
Last year (2022), we received $1,300 in contributions but those funds are long gone. If you contributed money in 2022, that money was used to help defray the cost of gravel purchased and placed into the road last year, when we put down about 220 yards of stone because the road was in such poor shape. And by the way, we really need to replace some culverts in 2023 if at all possible, so that’s another expense coming up.
Sadly, most property owners along the road are contributing nothing toward road maintenance. Please remember: These are private roads. No money, materials, or services are provided by the town, city, or state. If you are using any of these roads and not contributing toward their upkeep, the simple fact is that you are benefitting at the expense of others. If you don’t want to do that, please contribute a reasonable amount toward the cost of purchasing crushed stone. And remember, even if you use your property only occasionally, as a “camp”, the road must still be maintained so that emergency vehicles can get through, and so that you can access your property when you do decide to visit. Maintaining and repairing the road takes many hours of volunteer labor, most of the work goes into Mary Ordway Road (used by all property owners) and the same people providing the labor and equipment are also paying for most of the cost of the materials as well! That’s not exactly fair, is it?
If you want to contribute to contribute toward material for the road, please feel free to email me at joe@meadoasis.com. We would rather not have cash, but a check is fine, as are funds sent via Venmo.