What sets the cost of dust control on your road or lot

Why there's no price list

A 200-foot driveway and a mile of shared road with log trucks on it are different jobs. So are two driveways of the same length, if one is fresh gravel and the other is potholes. That's why I quote every job. Any price you see attributed to us that didn't come in a quote from us didn't come from us.

What I can do is show you what moves a quote, so you know what to tell me. These are the eight things I ask about.

1–2. How much road: length, width or area

Length is the first thing I ask about, and for a lot it's the area. Tell me where the treatment should start and stop. Our quote form has a satellite map where you can tap along the road and it measures the length for you, or you can type the length if you know it.

Tell me the width too, if the road is wider than a single lane or has turnouts or a parking area. If only part of a road needs it, say which stretch.

3–4. Surface condition and gravel quality

The road itself sets how well any treatment can work. The USDA Forest Service lists two surface conditions that generally call for higher application rates or more frequent treatment.¹

• Low fines in the road surface, typically less than 10 percent passing a No. 200 sieve.
• A poorly bladed or loose wearing surface.

The gravel roads manual is blunter about bad gravel. Writing about chloride treatments, it says their cost "has been virtually wasted on some roads when the gravel was poor and very short-lived dust control resulted."² The lignin we apply is especially good on roads with more dirt and sand in them, but no binder makes up for a road that's falling apart. If your road needs grading or gravel first, I'd rather you know that before you spend anything on dust control. The how-to guide covers the prep the federal guides recommend.

5–6. Traffic, speed and trucks

The Forest Service says higher rates or more frequent treatment are generally needed with "high traffic volumes with high speeds and a larger percentage of truck traffic."¹ A quiet driveway, a shared road with a dozen households, and a yard with loaded trucks turning on it all wear a treatment differently.

So tell me roughly how many vehicles use the road, whether trucks or equipment run on it, and how fast people tend to drive it.

7. Location and access

We're based in Medford and work across Jackson and Josephine counties. Where the road is, and how a truck gets to it, are part of the quote. Tell me the address or nearest crossroads, and anything a truck needs to know about, like a gate, a low branch or a tight turn. I drive the truck myself, so I'd rather hear about that tight turn before I'm in it.

8. Timing and repeat seasons

When you want it done affects how well it works. The Forest Service advises applying suppressants "immediately following the wet season," and not just before rain.¹ See when to apply dust control.

Plan the cost by the year, too. The gravel roads manual says virtually every method of dust control needs treating again each year.² Ours is built to last the season.

Shared roads: one quote, split by the neighbors

On a shared road, one person can send the road and we'll quote it as one job with one contact. How the neighbors share it is up to them, or to their road maintenance agreement if they have one. The guide for road associations covers how Oregon law treats shared upkeep and the ways neighbors split it, and it has a calculator.

How to get an accurate quote fast

1. Measure the road on the satellite map in our quote form, or note where it starts and stops.
2. Say what kind of property it is, whether that's a driveway, a shared road, a lot or yard, a farm, or a public job.
3. Add the surface (fresh gravel, potholes, dirt), the traffic and any trucks, and how many households share it.
4. Tell us when you want it done.

Or just give me a call. We answer seven days a week, 8am to 6pm. Running a business lot or yard? See commercial lot and yard dust control.