How can you estimate the cost of building a gravel road?

Answer 1

Go to the road site after it rains. Take a 2"x2" wooden stake with a flat (not sharpened) end and see how far you can drive it into the ground before it starts to break up. Should be at least 6 inches, more like 12. Convert that number into feet (9 inches would be 0.75 feet), this is how deep the road bed needs to be.

Take the road width X length X depth for volume in cubic feet, divide it by 27 for the number of cubic yards, and multiply it by 1.5 tons (the average) for the number of tons of gravel. Call the gravel supplier and ask for the delivered price for "number 1s and 2s" and for "crusher run" in the quantities you come up with.

You can figure that it will be half and half, the bottom being 1&2s, and the top half being crusher-run.

So: if you can pound the stake in 12 inches and the driveway will be 10 feet wide by 40 feet long and the delivered price for 1&2 comes out to $22/ton and crusher run is $20/ton than:

10 X 40 X 1.0 = 400 cubic feet,

400 CF / 27 = 14.8148 ...cubic yd

15 CY X 1.5 = 22.5... Tons

12 Tons X $22 = $264

12 Tons X $20 = $240

$264 + 240 = $504.00

Keep in mind that this is only for the gravel and the price/ton is dependent on the quantity purchased. You may be able to buy full truckload quantities for the same price as partials. Labor and the equipment rentals are fully dependent on site conditions. This is the proper quantity for a long-lasting road bed. You could make a very temporary road by spreading 3-4" of crusher-run on top of the grass.