Driveway Blues!

[HIGHLANDER]

The Rain.. make it quit puuuleeze!!!!

So we come home one night and the " common " driveway we share with four other homes has one tire track 4" below the other. The next moring it's about two feet, later that evening its four feet.. It's now slid to about 10 or 12 feet ! I can get my full size truck past it if I put one wheel in the drainage ditch and the other right on the edge :blink:

We've had a huge amount of rain this year already, the local gauges are at 81" so far this year, and more's on the way! :angry:

Here are the pics when it was about 4 feet !

 

[Toecutter]

Bummer

 

[Bugnatr]

That slide sucks, but you do have just enough road to get the bike out.(an attempt to look on the bright side of a bad situation) Time to buy some big sheets of black plastic? We are over 80 inches up here in Nevada County too. Been hard on all of us that work outdoors, guess it would be a good year to own a gravel pit.

 

[twowheelnut]

I was gonna wisecrack and say, 'move', but looks like Mother Nature is doing that for you.

You gonna hire a soils engineer or just patch it up?

By the way, stay away from the shovels and lifting, k?

 

[Fencer]

And all those high and mighty Kalifornians liken to makes fun of us Redneks here in Bama. Least ways wes knows how (and where) to build sheet. :lol:

Look on the bright side. You could be buried under the stuff at the bottom of the hill!

I know plant Junipers! They are great for erosion controll!

All kidding aside.. That sucks. Is it a private drive or will the Road Dept fix it?

 

[twowheelnut]

And all those high and mighty Kalifornians liken to makes fun of us Redneks here in Bama. Least ways wes knows how (and where) to build sheet. :lol:
Look on the bright side. You could be buried under the stuff at the bottom of the hill!

I know plant Junipers! They are great for erosion controll!

All kidding aside.. That sucks. Is it a private drive or will the Road Dept fix it?

Hey, is that a hurricane in your pocket or is that tornado just happy to see you? :haha:

And, you all now live in wind-proof double-wides, eh? Impressive!

 

[madmike2]

Welllll, now everyone can see the infamous driveway we have spoken about. See what one must endure to visit the Highlander Estate! Now you all know why the Highlanders (aka: "the landed gentry") haven't seen a need to install a moat and drawbridge!

Seriously, Dave, some plastic would keep any water from further eroding the slide. One would assume the gravel is to help level the roadway, but water is going to get under that and continue to wash away the hillside (unless some mesh cloth is placed under the gravel). The real problem is the unstable rainsoaked earth under the pavement, and that's not likely to dry out soon. Gravity, its an unforgiving force.

At least you live "uphill". IIRC, you've plenty of trees and scrub brush around so there is a strong root system holding the soil around the house. The road was cut along the side of the mountain so it would wash out way before there was a problem with your foundations, etc. Hey, I'm just trying to help you sleep better tonight. :dribble:

 

[PapaUtah]

If the hill slides any further that driveway is going to cost $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to fix!

mg2:

Then the neighbors will start :argue: over who pays!

 

[FlyingLow]

"We need the rain" is the standard Californian response, though Highlander may well beg to differ.

We SoCals steal their water anyway but that's a discussion for the political forum.

 

[Warpdrv]

If thats blacktop, Ive never seen it laid so thin in my life....

WTF.... Thats just ********....

 

[madmike2]

I'm guessing that is NOT blacktop, but "*****" oil w/ gravel, probably 2 or 3 layers. Pretty common in the mountains and foothills out here. It would be nearly impossible to get permits, including environmental reports and fees, for an actual blacktop roadway in there. Lots of "tree huggers" in that area who would not stand for the soil to be disrupted and replace by compacted AB and bituminous asphalt.

My best guess is one Highlander has already suggested, that the county will send their engineer to inspect and advise that a retaining wall be constructed and the roadway/driveway be returned to its original condition and grade.

"Slip slidin' away....slip slidin' a-waaaaaayyy......."[SIZE=8pt]my apologies to Simon and Garfunkel[/SIZE]

 

[Windjammer]

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just trade the FJR for a Trials bike and let the neighbors fix it? That road could be fun on a Gas-Gas.

 

[HIGHLANDER]

Hey I'm feelin' the Bama love !

It's a private road so we'll probally have to through three or four FJR's worth into the hole <_< Maybe more

After the pics were taken we put 30 yards base rock in as a stop gap measure to get some road width back, but a day later it all sunk to about 8 feet now! We're are covering it with plastic, you can see it in the pic with the truck, but I feel it's a little late, it's the water under the earth causing the problem, the ground is so saturated it flows off the top of the earth, it won't soak up any more.

We supposed to meet with the County geologist for an " unoffical " meeting to get the Counties take on the best solution.

That Motard is staring to look better all the time!

 

[twowheelnut]

If thats blacktop, Ive never seen it laid so thin in my life....
WTF.... Thats just ********....

This is typical for Cal. Roadbed prep and density (thickness) has little or no meaning here... nor does rainwater drainage.

 

[madmike2]

Hoooo-boy, what a fun project you've chosen! You're right, there's no way to solve this by adding material and weight from above, especially with the groundwater table as high as it is right now.

Can you carve into the hillside and widen the roadsay away from the slide area? Even that may be a losing effort with the rain we're getting...and more on the way for the next week. The priviledge of living in the wilderness. Do you have coastal deer and racoons as pets?

 

[HIGHLANDER]

Do you have coastal deer and racoons as pets?

Taste like chicken !!!

Cutting the hill would require whacking a large weed, I mean Redwood, and it would affect the road above.

Lost another 1 1/2 feet last night when we had 4 more inches of rain. No-one is driving through now.

ATC as a shuttle bus may be in the works !

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

Highlander,

If you need any physical help I know how to use a shovel and wheelbarrow and if you need a bunch of people, I bet if you put out a call for help we could put together a team from the forum. Not to volunteer anyone's time and offer them blisters in return, but I see this forum as a community of sorts and I'm willing to come help if you need it.

Andrew

 

[twowheelnut]

Highlander,
If you need any physical help I know how to use a shovel and wheelbarrow and if you need a bunch of people, I bet if you put out a call for help we could put together a team from the forum. Not to volunteer anyone's time and offer them blisters in return, but I see this forum as a community of sorts and I'm willing to come help if you need it.

Andrew

Wadaya, nuts or sumpin'?! Hell, he lives on an Estate, fer cryin' out loud! He's got serfs and wenches to do the laborious ****.

 

[madmike2]

Highlander,
If you need any physical help I know how to use a shovel and wheelbarrow and if you need a bunch of people, I bet if you put out a call for help we could put together a team from the forum. Not to volunteer anyone's time and offer them blisters in return, but I see this forum as a community of sorts and I'm willing to come help if you need it.

Andrew

Wadaya, nuts or sumpin'?! Hell, he lives on an Estate, fer cryin' out loud! He's got serfs and wenches to do the laborious ****.

Au contrere, mon ami! He lives in Northern Mexico (CA), he's gots peons!