Every year the total length of roads in Canada increases with the greatest amount of growth in non-paved roads for resource recovery and rural development. Accompanying this growth in road kilometers is a general decrease in the availability of aggregate resources for new construction and maintenance. In order to maximize the use of available aggregate and financial resources, this desktop study reviews the various methods and equipment available for non-paved road maintenance. This study uses case histories and conventional procedures as part of the review process. Typical road maintenance techniques including grading and graveling as well as newer techniques such road reclaiming equipment are reviewed. The applicability of each technique for a number of common rural road concerns is reviewed. Road problems or defects include potholes, washboard, slippery surface, rutting, etc. The function or physical process for each maintenance technique is described with an emphasis on differentiating between the techniques. Finally, the paper attempts to quantify the complete applicability of each type of maintenance equipment. Additional considerations such as conservation of renewable resources and environmental impacts are reviewed. The paper’s conclusions provide engineers, public works supervisors and anyone responsible for non-paved road maintenance an overall review of the applicability of various maintenance techniques, their pros and cons and the most appropriate occasion for their use.
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