I've got a road that goes up a hill and it hasn't dried out this year and the water is seeping out the road and making a big slick place about 1/3 the way up. Typically this dries out by August and this is really a Spring issue more than anything and for the most part can be ignored. Not this year nothing has dried out. The road is cut into a near vertical bank and shallow ditched up both sides maybe 50 yards of hill in length.

If I dig the ditches deeper on either sides will that make the water run out the ditch before it runs out on the road surface? Gonna be real hard to get some rock in there. Looking for some pro tips.

It may seem counter intuitive but dig a rut right down the middle of it and when you drive it keep your tires centered on the ridges.

Is it an underground spring?

I've seen this work, also if the banks are bare, I would try sewing some grass to help with erosion, and drink up some of that water. My .02

Buy a real truck.

need some Falkens...

Tore the door off my buddies 87 yota in this same scenario.

Good luck 🤣🤣

Rail road gravel and water breaks.

My truck has Detroit lockers and 38 inch Super Swampers.... I can get up it. No more than a couple passes and nobody else will.

It isn't really a spring it's just where the water table is or something and we are just talking about a seep but if it won't dry out everything from that place down is mud central. I just didn't know if I ditched the hell outa either side that would make it flow out the ditch instead of the road bed. I'm from where Rock is plentiful that's how I know how to fix things like this. Rock is scarce down LA way.

We have a spot like this and the bulldozer guy put a hump in the road and a turnout on either side to make the water coming down the hill flow either direction off the road above the hump. Has worked like a charm probably 25 years at least.

That hump was something else flying down that hill in a dead K5 Blazer trying to get it back to the cabin... I think my nuts finally settled back into place a few days later.

I have a steep hill on my place and when we cut the road several years ago we snaked up the hill and put in water bars at each turn. It's held up with minimal maintenance for a long time.

I'm with you guys on water bars just not sure that's going to fix this because the water bar is going to be mud hump this dern water is seeping out the road so the water bar becomes saturated but it would certainly help everything downhill from the seep... I'm with y'all on that. I piled some dirt up and tried to make a turn out but when I took the 4wd tractor up through there I cut 2 ruts right through it so I'm going to need some better dirt. Talked to one of our civil engineers this morning and he said answer is to build up the road bed which I figured was the answer.

But you know... Country Boys sometimes they got Pro Tips. I appreciate everyone's responses.

Not much you can do until it dries up unless you have access to a track hoe, dozer and dump truck.
You're gonna have to put in good ditches and turnouts, then cap the road with some good clay.
If you can get 1-2 feet of good clay on it, you should be good to go.

We saw this exact situation on a road construction job in Escambia Co. Water was bleeding into the road bed as the road was cut into the hill. If I’m picturing this correctly, ditches may not help, but worth a shot before bringing in rock.

We ended up placing 18” of rock and underdrains, but it was for a paved road.

I can’t be the only one thinking this thread would be way better with pics of this beast. 38’s and Detroits, you’ve got my full and undivided attention.

**Bonus pts if it’s mid to late 70’s Americana sitting on 1-ton axles**

X2 we. Need truck pics

Deepen the ditches. Cut a couple of trenches on an angle about 24" deep across the roadbed where the seep is. Fill trenches with a course aggregate. Railroad stone down to #57 stone size will work. Cover over stone filled trenches with existing roadbed clay material.

Dozer

Is it lined with trees? No sun will ruin a road like this. A common sense solution to a problem a lot of people have.

Possible temporary fix until more can be done.........Cut 15-20 straight poles maybe like 8 inches in diameter and 10 ft in length and make a temporary mat out of them across the problem area until it dries out