The Brew Cabin

Posted: **Wed Sep 25, 2019 1:30 pm**

hi,
I've used the website for many years for paving questions - I hope I can also get some help on a gravel road question. We have a driveway 500m long. It's newly laid with compacted MOT1, with a good camber, on a strong sub-base. It doesn't need to look pretty.

Does it NEED a topping of smaller gravel?

From my reading it's not clear if a wearing course / topping of smaller (e.g. 18mm-dust) gravel is just for cosmetic purposes, or whether it has a function? 500m of topping adds up, and I assume will also make any pothole remediation harder due to the mixed materials.

Vehicles are mostly domestic cars/postmen, plus the odd tractor.

Posted: **Wed Sep 25, 2019 4:08 pm**

It would look, and sound, better with a dressing of gravel, but from a structural point, it's absolutely fine as it is!

The only caveat normally added is that, should you wish to use this as a sub-base for some other surfacing or paving at a later date, you would probably have to scrape off and dump the top 30-50mm or so as it *will* have become contaminated with all sorts of undesirables.

Posted: **Thu Sep 26, 2019 5:11 pm**

Thanks Tony! Great to hear.

In addition to this brilliant site, I've found some great info online from the Forestry Commission (report ON025) and the "Austroads Guide to Pavement Technology" but none of them were clear on this point.

The Brew Cabin

Do gravel roads need a topping? - Is mot sufficient for a road?