BROWSE HOW TOs

How to Fix a Pothole in a Dirt or Gravel Driveway

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

Rate: (9 Ratings)

When entering your own driveway is like running a slalom course, it's time to fix that pothole. Water trapped below the surface can cause potholes, so it is important to improve the underground drainage before finishing off the top surface.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Gravel
Coarse Gravel
Metal Rake
Shovel
Soil
Tamping Tool

Step1

Rake or shovel out any loose stones, gravel or soil from the bottom of the pothole.

Step2

If the sides of the pothole are loose, cut them straight down with a shovel to create firm edges to the hole.

Step3

Fill the hole with coarse gravel to about 3 inches (7 cm) below the level of the driveway (see A).

Step4

Tamp down the gravel. You can make your own wooden tamping tool from a small square of 3/4-inch (2-cm) plywood nailed to the bottom end of a 4-foot-long (120-cm) 2-by-4.

Step5

For a dirt driveway: Shovel soil into the hole until it is mounded a few inches (about 7 cm) above the surface.

Step6

Water the soil, and tamp it down as firmly as you can.

Step7

If necessary, add enough soil to raise it a little above the driveway surface again, and tamp it down again.

Step8

For a gravel driveway: Fill the last 3 inches (7 cm) with gravel that matches the driveway. Mound it just above the surface.

Step9

Rake the new gravel to blend with the rest of the driveway (see B).

Step10

For either type of driveway: Run a wheel of your car over the spot a few times to compact it down.

Tips & Warnings

For proper drainage, a driveway should have a slight crown in the middle--at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of height for each 4 feet (120 cm) of width--or else it should mildly slope all the way across in the same direction that water tends to drain.
The pieces of crushed stone on a driveway should be pointed and with clear, not rounded, edges in order to pack together tightly.