New Developments in Selecting Chemical Treatments for Gravel Roads

There is an increasing need and interest in the use of chemical treatments to reduce maintenance and gravel replacement on gravel roads. However, choice of the most appropriate additive is difficult because of the proprietary nature of many of the additives available. This paper offers an updated selection guide, which is based on the practitioner understanding the roads that require treatment in terms of traffic, climate, geometry, and materials; understanding additive types and categories; and understanding the need to request potential vendors to categorize their additives accordingly. Based on the information collected, appropriate additive categories and if applicable, sub-categories, can be selected from two charts. The selection can be refined by evaluating expected performance using prediction charts that are based on material properties determined from simple, inexpensive laboratory tests.