Gravel Road Maintenance and Design

This one-day workshop helps supervisory personnel and operators better understand the materials, techniques, and equipment needed for maintaining gravel roads. It also reviews new techniques and ideas in gravel road maintenance. Slides, videos, and group discussions will help attendees learn from real-world examples and exchange information with instructors and other attendees.
Dates & Locations
Not currently scheduled
Topics Covered
- The latest in gravel road maintenance techniques
- How to reduce washboarding
- How to choose good sources of gravel
- How to shape a gravel road, including a proper crown and shoulder
- Gravel road and equipment safety
- Gravel gradation
- How to control dust
- How to select the right equipment and cutting edges
- Fabric stabilization of weak road-base conditions
- How to develop a road improvement program
- Gravel road stabilization with Otta Seal or calcium chloride
- Review of gravel road maintenance equipment
- Motor grader safety and operation overview
Who Should Attend
Supervisors, operators, and township officials responsible for maintaining gravel roads and anyone interested in gravel road maintenance.
Course Instructor
Brian Jackson has been a heavy equipment operator for 30 years. He joined the US Navy at age 18, and by the time he left, Brian was licensed on 49 different pieces of heavy equipment. Brian then spent over 20 years at Fillmore County, Nebraska, where he ran a route of 78 miles and completed many grade projects across the county. Brian has also worked for various private contractors operating equipment on a part-time basis. He started instructing grader operators for Nebraska LTAP in 1999 as a volunteer before becoming a full-time equipment trainer in 2015. In 2019, he started his own training business, providing equipment training across the Midwest for county, city, and state employees on virtually all equipment.
Credit
- 1.0 Roads Scholar Program Maintenance Certificate credit.
- To the best of our knowledge, this course/activity meets the continuing education requirements for 6.0 PDHs as outlined in Minnesota Statute 326.107. More information concerning continuing education for professionals is online.
Sponsors
This workshop is presented by the Minnesota Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) at the Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota. Minnesota LTAP is sponsored by the Minnesota Local Road Research Board (LRRB) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). This course is subsidized through funding from LRRB and FHWA.