# Paving a Road **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 14, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paving-a-road/782170 "2017-03-14T16:02:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paving-a-road/782170/41 "2017-05-09T17:04:52Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Wow. A sort of related question would “How does any town manage to afford paved roads?” Taxes ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paving-a-road/782170/42 "2017-05-09T22:44:40Z")
> [@Pilgrim\_Shadow](#): > > According to IMDb – Romancing the Stone, U.S. release March 30, 1984. > “There are schedules to be maintained, even in Colombia.” – Zolo:cool: Ha! A near zombied thread revived by a nitpick to a semi-hijack! Love it! ---
**Author:** ![RememberMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@RememberMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RememberMe)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paving-a-road/782170/43 "2017-05-10T01:51:04Z")
> [@MedellinMike](#): > > Estimator for a civil highway contractor here. > > Road length = 1.25 miles = 6600 ft > > Road width = 25 ft (assumed, two 11’ lanes with 1.5 each side for shoulder) > > Area = 18,500 SY > > 2" thick asphalt surface = 2100 tons @ $75/ ton = $157,500 > > 6" thick asphalt base = 6325 tons @ $70/ton = $442,750 (maybe only 4" needed depending on local requirements) > > 6" aggregate base = 18,500 SY @ $7.5/SY = $137,500 > > Total = $739,000 > > This is only the cost of the paving and does not include grading or excavation, clearing, any drainage pipe and structures, line striping, traffic control, not to mention planning, permits, reviews, etc. > > This estimate is based on NJ average costs because that’s what I’m familiar with ( [http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/business/trnsport/pdf/report2013.pdf](http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/business/trnsport/pdf/report2013.pdf)) > > NJ is an expensive state for labor, but Vermont’s costs don’t seem too different ([http://vtrans.vermont.gov/sites/aot/files/estimating/documents/5YearEnglishAveragedPriceList11.pdf](http://vtrans.vermont.gov/sites/aot/files/estimating/documents/5YearEnglishAveragedPriceList11.pdf)) > > So I think the bare bones price might be $750k, but more likely it will be up about $1.5 million. > > Finally ARTBA (American Road & Transportation Builders of America) in their FAQ give an estimate that rural roads cost $2-$3 million per mile. ([Contact Us - ARTBA](http://www.artba.org/about/faq/)) So my 1.5 million estimate may be a little low, but might be reasonable since this is a light duty, low traffic road. Hey mike, way off topic here, but you ever work with P+A in jersey? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paving-a-road/782170/44 "2017-05-10T02:05:30Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > BTW, terrible rural roads are part of Vermont’s charm. … In my town in NY we still have a few unpaved roads, at a town hall meeting it was expressed that some would like to leave those as is as it is part of the charm of the town, the residents who lived on those roads were not charmed by that at all. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paving-a-road/782170/45 "2017-05-10T12:20:41Z")
If mud seeps up when it rains… the problem isn’t lack of paving, it probably has more to do with lack of drainage and lack of gravel. When they build a subdivision near us, the first step in roadbuilding is to dig 2 feet down and fill the path with gravel. No actually, the step before that is sewers. I would instead suggest the first step is to look at the worst stretches, and see whether a few strategically places ditches and culverts would reduce the amount and duration of mud. Then dump more gravel on those places. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paving-a-road/782170.md?page=2)