Unpaved roads are no one’s favorite, especially when you consider all the dust on such roads.
Despite being heavily developed, a huge number of roads in America are unpaved, according to Truegridpaver. Since unpaved roads are usually present in a bigger number, it is likely to come across one.
As you come across one, you will notice that they have many surprises in store for your car! Your car is most likely to take some beating as you drive it on an unpaved road. However, to make things easier on your vehicle, you can try out some special tricks.
In this guide, we will mention some of the most effective ways to achieve road dust control. With the help of these tricks, the dust control on unpaved roads will be excellent.
So, without any further ado, let’s get going!
Reducing the Traffic
Unpaved roads have a lot of dust on them as it is. However, the traveling vehicles stir up even more dust on the road.
Reducing the traffic on the road is one of the most effective ways to maintain dust control. You can try out implementing various activities, such as encouraging walking on foot. However, you will need to do so voluntarily.
Additionally, you can also reduce traffic by restricting roads only to specific types of vehicles or weights.
Reducing the Speed
According to a study conducted by the Division of Air Quality, driving at a reduced speed can prevent the dust from stirring up. Moreover, going slow on unpaved roads is good for the car as well as the road. A vehicle moving at high speed is most likely to stir up dust.
To remedy the dust issue on the roads, you can limit the cars to move at 40-20 mph. This speed range is the sweet spot if you want the dust from stirring up on the road.
To further slow down the drivers on an unpaved road, you can add speed bumps and drainage. Drainage and speed bumps will also contribute significantly to stop the dust from stirring up on the road.
Furthermore, road drainage can also help you in avoiding issues such as puddles. Puddles on an unpaved road will damage the road beyond the point of repair, thus resulting in craters on the road.
Watering the Road
One of the greatest ways to keep your car looking new is to drive it on roads with less dust residue. And, watering the street is the perfect solution for settling down all the dust on the road.
As you water the road, the water particles cause the dust to stick together, which simmers down the spread of dust as cars drive on the road.
However, watering the road is going to depend on the weather conditions specifically. There will be some cases in which watering the road once will be enough for days, and then there are cases where you may need to water the road after every few hours.
If you have a community backing you, then we have some good news for you! You can arrange a water truck. Using a water truck will help you in leveraging the support of local water supplies.
However, watering the road to stop the dust is not a permanent solution by any means. Sure, you might be good for a few days, and after that, you will need to water the road again.
Nevertheless, the whole process is rather frugal, so we wouldn’t mind watering the road now and then.
Cover the Surface soils of the road with gravel
You probably may not know, but driving your car on the road made from gravel is.
There are several benefits of applying gravel on an unpaved road, but it primarily helps maintain better dust control on the road. Moreover, gravel also accounts for a hardened road surface, which protects the road from incurring damage from vehicle wheels driving on it.
You can contact many road dust control companies in your areas to learn about covering the road with gravel and effective ways to protect the road with gravel.
However, gravel does not affect the air current power resulting from the driving vehicles, impacting the road.
And with time, the gravel covering on the road will bury into the ground. The chances of such a case are more probable if the road is wet.
So, You will need to ensure that you have used enough cement to keep the gravel in place. Using cement in adequate amounts will also ensure that gravel does not bury in the unpaved road.
For covering the road with gravel, we suggest that you consult road dust control companies as they are likely to have a better strategy in mind for the gravel.
Using Deliquescent salts
Using Deliquescent salts and water are the two different sides of the same coin.
Such salts have properties that allow them to attract water particles. As they attract water particles, different salts such as Calcium chloride will absorb the water present in the surrounding air and increase the water content on the road.
However, excessive use of deliquescent salts may result in wet, slippery roads or vehicle corrosion. Moreover, rainfall also treats the salts harshly as it drives the salts away from the road.
So, going forward, you must keep in mind that these salts only stay durable for one or two years. Out of the many different salts, you can expect calcium chloride to be exceptionally durable.
Using Chemicals that increases moisture
While we are talking about methods that increase the concentration of water molecules on an unpaved road, chemicals for this purpose are one of the widely used options.
There are different types of chemicals as well, which include different asphalts.
In actuality, the chemicals end up coating the water particles with a thin layer of asphalt. The chances of water molecules flying into the air with the use of such substances are significantly lesser.
However, to make the most out of such chemicals, the best way is to mix it into the top inch or two of the road surface using a grader.
Reduce the Exposed ground
At this point, we are talking about simple science and common sense. A covered ground won’t blow any dust, and since it’s covered, it won’t create or pick up any dust either.
Any areas such as footpaths, dirt parking areas, shortcuts, or even an eroding bluff can be a prominent aspect of appearing dust.
So, in short, exposure of air and dust to the road is bad. You can reduce the exposed ground by maintaining vegetation and replanting on barren areas.
Final Words
Driving on dusty roads can be bad for your vehicle. Adding more to the mix, you might even end up incurring a charge for driving on them!
Following the tips provided in this article, you will have the dust residue issue on the road under control. You will be thanking us when you won’t need car washes more frequently, and your costs for maintaining the car would go down as well!
Nevertheless, if you have some experience in this domain and feel like adding something valuable to this guide, share it with us in the comments section.
Author Bio
Audrey Throne has an ongoing affair with the words that capture readers’ attention. Her passion for writing dates back to her pre-blogging days. She loves to share her thoughts related to business, technology, health and fashion.
Find her on Twitter: @audrey_throne
