how to determne grade for a new driveway

[muddstopper]

I am trying to layout the driveway for my new house site and cant seem to get the grade right. the total lenght of the road will be around 1000-1100ft and is wooded and uphill. I have tried using my nuvii gps to determine the difference in elevation, but everytime I check it, it varies from 30ft to 60ft elevation change. I tried a sight thru inclinometer and have flagged it twice, both times I didnt endup where I wanted to be. I uploaded a app to my smartphone that is supposed to track and show elevation I could take one step and get a 30ft change in elevation. I have checked the ounty maps and checked the contor lines on a arial view, but selecting points on the map isnt accurate at all. My goal is to put the road in on one gentle slope. Since the area is heavy wooded and the road will bend around a hillside, I cant just look from one end to the other. I need some suggetions on how to do this. I dont want to start cutting sight trails only to find out I am to low or too high. I plan on leaving as much timber as possible. I have to pay per ft to get power into the place so I need the road as straight as possible and I dont want any steep grades.

 

[RNeumann]

Your phone GPS (as you are finding) won’t cut it. A full on surveyor who makes a topo is obviously the most accurate approach. My next bet would be to find a logger. They cut roads in all the time. With a trained eye I’m sure they can get you what you want. Another option would be your excavation contractor. Those folks should also have a good eye for what you want.

 

[EddieWalker]

Are you asking what slope or pitch you should have for the road, or are you looking for advice on how to route it out through the woods so you can do it right the first time?

 

[Egon]

Before the advent of modern measuring tools a hand level would have worked just fine. Today you could use a laser beam the same way.

[video]https://www.google.ca/search?q=hand+level&client=safari&hl=en-ca&prmd=isvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiV0r-Kj8jhAhUrxVkKHSoQDoQQ_AUoAXoECBAQAQ&biw=1024&bih=727#imgrc=8laP5rXOB_HOjM[/video]

 

[747driver]

As RNeumann suggested....get a topo surveyor or logging road people to look at it. Maybe find someone who has a drone and do a closeup view from the air to get a good overhead visual ? I assume you have walked the property from the home site to the highway and noted how the land slopes or rises in relationship to drainage ? You will be surprised how much water will run down that road when it rains if not layed out properly with culverts. Those logging road or excavating people will know where to cut into and layout properly for drainage . We live near the Smokey mtns. so I had a experienced excavating guy come in and cut in additional road width for our 1200 ft road that was a old logging road. I assume you are going underground for your electrical ?

 

[CobyRupert]

Does your power line have to be along the roadway?
Seems like opposing priorities.
You want power line to be as short as possible, but roadway not to be steep as possible. The shortest will be the steepest.

 

[/pine]

Seems like if you can work in low light a laser level would be the ticket to set some grade stakes...

If you have a helper an optical (engineer's) level will require multiple set ups but you can rent self leveling optical levels for a day at reasonable costs (much cheaper than hiring a surveyor etc...)

Set grade stakes off to the side and at distances that will allow you to run strings between them for referencing cut and fill volumes...

 

[mwayne]

Have you considered, if your road is one gentle slope that means that rainfall from the top will flow all the way down. The drainage ditches will need to get bigger to match the water flow.

 

[wagne223]

Does your power line have to be along the roadway?
Seems like opposing priorities.
You want power line to be as short as possible, but roadway not to be steep as possible. The shortest will be the steepest.

My thoughts exactly.

I have seen many properties in the NC mountains that have a switchback driveway and power lines that run straight up the hill.

 

[mikester]

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Abney+Hand+Level