Dirt road: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 15:51, 24 August 2024

A dirt road or track is a type of unpaved road not paved with asphalt, concrete, brick, or stone;^[1] made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material.^{[citation needed]}

Terminology

Similar terms

Terms similar to dirt road are dry-weather road, earth road, or the "Class Four Highway" designation used in China. A track, dirt track, or earth track would normally be similar but less suitable for larger vehicles—the distinction is not well-defined. Laterite and murram roads, depending on material used, may be dirt roads or improved roads.^{[citation needed]}

Improved road

Unpaved roads with a harder surface made by the addition of material such as gravel and aggregate (stones), might be referred to as dirt roads in common usage but are distinguished as improved roads by highway engineers. Improved unpaved roads include gravel roads and macadamized roads.^{[citation needed]}

Characteristics

Compared to a gravel road, a dirt road is not usually graded regularly to produce an enhanced camber to encourage rainwater to drain off the road, and drainage ditches at the sides may be absent. They are unlikely to have embankments through low-lying areas. This leads to greater waterlogging and erosion, and after heavy rain the road may be impassable even to off-road vehicles. For this reason, in some countries, such as Australia and New Zealand and Finland, they are known as dry-weather roads.^{[citation needed]}

Dirt roads take on different characteristics according to the soils and geology where they pass, and may be sandy, stony, rocky or have a bare earth surface, which could be extremely muddy and slippery when wet, and baked hard when dry. They are likely to become impassable after rain. They are common in rural areas of many countries, often very narrow and infrequently used, and are also found in metropolitan areas of many developing countries, where they may also be used as major highways and have considerable width.^{[citation needed]}

Dirt roads almost always form a washboard-like surface with ridges. The reason for this is that dirt roads have tiny irregularities; a wheel hitting a bump pushes it forward, making it bigger, while a wheel pushing over a bump pushes dirt into the next bump. However, the surface can remain flat for velocities less than 5 mph.^[2]

Driving on dirt roads

While most gravel roads are all-weather roads and can be used by ordinary cars, dirt roads may only be passable by trucks or four-wheel drive vehicles, especially in wet weather, or on rocky or very sandy sections. It is as easy to become bogged in sand as it is in mud; a high clearance under the vehicle may be required for rocky sections.^{[citation needed]}

Driving on dirt roads requires great attention to variations in the surface and it is easier to lose control than on a gravel road.^{[citation needed]}

Image gallery

Dirt road in Fremont, California
Wrightwood Street in Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, c. 1880
Mountain track in Switzerland
Detail of a dry, loamy road
Cycling on a rough road in Tanzania
Spraying dirt road with water in Benin
Rural dirt road near Kingsley, Michigan
Dirt road in Brazil

References

^ Sultana, Selima; Weber, Joe (2016-04-18). Minicars, Maglevs, and Mopeds: Modern Modes of Transportation Around the World: Modern Modes of Transportation around the World. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-4408-3495-0.
^ "Road Bumps: Why dirt roads develop a washboard surface". 2007-08-15. Retrieved 2022-12-06.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Unpaved road made from the land's native material}}{{More citations needed|date=December 2022}}{{redirect|Fieldway|the area of Croydon, England|Fieldway (ward)|the light rail stop|Fieldway tram stop}}
-{{Unreferenced|date=May 2007}}
-[[File:Chikmagalur, India. (7793309142).jpg|thumbnail|Dirt Road in [[Chikmagalur]], India. ]]
+[[File:DirtRoadCows.jpg|thumb|right|[[Cattle]] on a dirt road in [[Paraguay]].]]
-[[Image:DirtRoadCows.jpg|thumb|right|[[Cattle]] on a dirt road in [[Paraguay]].]]
+A '''dirt road''' or '''track''' is a type of [[unpaved]] [[road]] not paved with asphalt, concrete, brick, or stone;<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Sultana |first1=Selima |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r8LWCwAAQBAJ&dq=%22a+dirt+road+is%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA97 |title=Minicars, Maglevs, and Mopeds: Modern Modes of Transportation Around the World: Modern Modes of Transportation around the World |last2=Weber |first2=Joe |date=2016-04-18 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-4408-3495-0 |language=en}}</ref> made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as [[subgrade]] material.{{Cn|date=December 2022}}
-A '''[[dirt]] road''' or '''track''' is a type of [[unpaved]] [[road]] made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as [[subgrade]] material. Dirt roads are suitable for [[vehicle]]s; a [[Trail|narrower path]] for pedestrians, animals, and possibly small vehicles would be called a '''dirt track'''&mdash;the distinction is not well-defined. Unpaved roads with a harder surface made by the addition of material such as [[gravel]] and [[aggregate (composite)|aggregate]] (stones), might be referred to as dirt roads in common usage but are distinguished as improved roads by highway engineers. (Improved unpaved roads include [[gravel road]]s, [[Gravel road#Laterite and murram roads|laterite roads, murram roads]] and [[macadam]]ized roads.)
+== Terminology ==
-Compared to a gravel road, a dirt road is not usually [[Land grading|graded]] regularly to produce an enhanced [[Wiktionary:camber|camber]] to encourage rainwater to drain off the road, and drainage ditches at the sides may be absent. They are unlikely to have [[Embankment (transportation)|embankment]]s through low-lying areas. This leads to greater waterlogging and erosion, and after heavy rain the road may be impassable even to [[off-road vehicle]]s. For this reason, in some countries, such as [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]], they are known as ''dry-weather roads''.
+=== Similar terms ===
+Terms similar to '''dirt road''' are ''dry-weather road'', ''earth road'', or the "Class Four Highway" designation used in [[China]]. A ''track'', ''dirt track'', or ''earth track'' would normally be similar but less suitable for larger vehicles&mdash;the distinction is not well-defined. [[Gravel road#Laterite and murram roads|Laterite and murram roads]], depending on material used, may be dirt roads or improved roads.{{Cn|date=December 2022}}
+=== Improved road ===
-Dirt roads take on different characteristics according to the [[soil]]s and [[geology]] where they pass, and may be sandy, stony, rocky or have a bare earth surface, which could be extremely muddy and slippery when wet, and baked hard when dry. They are likely to become impassable after rain. They are common in [[rural area]]s of many countries, often very narrow and infrequently used, and are also found in [[metropolitan area]]s of many developing countries, where they may also be used as major highways and have considerable width.
+Unpaved roads with a harder surface made by the addition of material such as [[gravel]] and [[aggregate (composite)|aggregate]] (stones), might be referred to as dirt roads in [[common usage]] but are distinguished as '''improved roads''' by highway engineers. Improved unpaved roads include [[gravel road]]s and [[Macadam#Water-bound macadam|macadamized roads]].{{Cn|date=December 2022}}
+== Characteristics ==
-Terms similar to '''dirt road''' are ''dry-weather road'', ''earth road'', or the "Class Four Highway" designation used in the [[People's Republic of China]]. A ''track'', ''dirt track'', or ''earth track'' would normally be similar but less suitable for larger vehicles.
+Compared to a gravel road, a dirt road is not usually [[Land grading|graded]] regularly to produce an enhanced camber to encourage rainwater to drain off the road, and drainage ditches at the sides may be absent. They are unlikely to have [[Embankment (transportation)|embankment]]s through low-lying areas. This leads to greater waterlogging and erosion, and after heavy rain the road may be impassable even to [[off-road vehicle]]s. For this reason, in some countries, such as [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]] and [[Finland]], they are known as ''dry-weather roads''.{{Cn|date=December 2022}}
+[[File:Saviselkä 2.JPG|thumb|A dirt road in [[Kärsämäki]], [[Finland]]]]
+Dirt roads take on different characteristics according to the [[soil]]s and [[geology]] where they pass, and may be sandy, stony, rocky or have a bare earth surface, which could be extremely muddy and slippery when wet, and baked hard when dry. They are likely to become impassable after rain. They are common in [[rural area]]s of many countries, often very narrow and infrequently used, and are also found in [[metropolitan area]]s of many developing countries, where they may also be used as major highways and have considerable width.{{Cn|date=December 2022}}
-==Driving on dirt roads==
-While most gravel roads are all-weather roads and can be used by ordinary [[car]]s, dirt roads may only be passable by [[truck]]s or [[four-wheel drive]] [[vehicle]]s, especially in wet weather, or on rocky or very sandy sections. It is as easy to become bogged in sand as it is in mud; a high clearance under the vehicle may be required for rocky sections.
+Dirt roads almost always form a washboard-like surface with ridges. The reason for this is that dirt roads have tiny irregularities; a wheel hitting a bump pushes it forward, making it bigger, while a wheel pushing over a bump pushes dirt into the next bump. However, the surface can remain flat for velocities less than 5 mph.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-08-15 |title=Road Bumps: Why dirt roads develop a washboard surface |url=https://www.sciencenews.org/article/road-bumps-why-dirt-roads-develop-washboard-surface |access-date=2022-12-06 |language=en-US}}</ref>
-Driving on dirt roads requires great attention to variations in the surface and it is easier to lose control than on a gravel road. In addition to the hazards already mentioned, and potholes, ruts and ridges, problems associated with driving on gravel roads include:
+== Driving on dirt roads ==
-*sharper and larger stones cutting and puncturing tires, or being thrown up by the wheels and damaging the underside, especially puncturing the [[fuel tank]] if not shielded
+While most gravel roads are all-weather roads and can be used by ordinary [[car]]s, dirt roads may only be passable by [[truck]]s or [[four-wheel drive]] [[vehicle]]s, especially in wet weather, or on rocky or very sandy sections. It is as easy to become bogged in sand as it is in mud; a high clearance under the vehicle may be required for rocky sections.{{Cn|date=December 2022}}
-*stones skipping up hitting the car body, lights or [[windshield]]s when two vehicles pass each other
-*dust thrown up from a passing vehicle reducing visibility
-*'[[Washboarding|washboard]]' corrugations cause loss of control or damage to vehicle systems such as [[Suspension (vehicle)|suspension]] and [[steering]]
-*Skidding (loss of [[traction (engineering)|traction]]) on mud after rain.
-[[File:DirtRoadByAmiltonReis.jpg|thumb|right|Dirt road in Brazil]]
+Driving on dirt roads requires great attention to variations in the surface and it is easier to lose control than on a gravel road.{{Cn|date=December 2022}}
-===Laterite and murram roads===
-In [[Africa]] parts of [[Asia]], and parts of [[Americas|America]], [[laterite]] soils are used to build dirt roads. However laterite,  called ''murram'' in [[East Africa]], varies considerably to earth and sand.  It ranges from a hard gravel to a softer earth embedded with small stones.  Not all laterite and murram roads are therefore strictly gravel roads.  Laterite and murram which contains a significant proportion of clay becomes very slippery when wet, and in the rainy season, it may be difficult even for [[four-wheel drive]] vehicles to avoid slipping off very [[Wiktionary:camber|cambered]] roads into the drainage ditches at the side of the road.  As it dries out, such laterite can become very hard, like [[sun-dried brick]]s.
-==Image Gallery==
+== Image gallery ==
 <gallery>
-File:Dirt Road - Fremont - CA.jpg|Damaged Dirt road at Fremont
+File:Dirt Road - Fremont - CA.jpg|Dirt road in [[Fremont, California]]
-File:655 Wrightwood Avenue Circa 1880, Lincoln Park Chicago Illinois.jpg|Lincoln Park area, Chicago
+File:655 Wrightwood Avenue Circa 1880, Lincoln Park Chicago Illinois.jpg|Wrightwood Street in [[Lincoln Park neighborhood]] of [[Chicago]], Illinois, {{Circa|1880}}
-Image:Frühlingslandschft Aaretal Schweiz.jpg|[[Switzerland]]
+File:Frühlingslandschft Aaretal Schweiz.jpg|Mountain track in Switzerland
-Image:DryDirtRoadDetail.jpg|Detail of a dry, loamy road
+File:DryDirtRoadDetail.jpg|Detail of a dry, loamy road
+File:Bike on the rough roads in Bagamoyo.jpg|Cycling on a rough road in [[Tanzania]]
+File:Le transport au Bénin 01.webm|Spraying dirt road with water in [[Benin]]
+File:Bowerman Road Kingsley MI.jpg|Rural dirt road near [[Kingsley, Michigan|Kingsley]], [[Michigan]]
+File:DirtRoadByAmiltonReis.jpg|Dirt road in [[Brazil]]
 </gallery>
+== References ==
+{{Reflist}}
 == See also ==
+{{commons|category:Dirt roads|Dirt roads}}
+{{wikt}}
 * [[Byway (road)]]
 * [[Country lane]]
 * [[Green lane (road)]]
+* [[Trail]]
-{{commons|category:Dirt roads|Dirt roads}}
 {{Road types}}
 {{Authority control}}
 [[Category:Types of roads]]