Gravel Delivery in Kansas

Layered sedimentary rock shows up at two of the eastern center points. The state geologic map shows shale, limestone and sandstone at the center point of Overland Park and the same three rocks at the center point of Olathe. Kansas City's center point reads silt, a fine sediment laid down by wind or water. Liberal's center point, far to the southwest, reads sand.^[1]

Of those rocks, limestone is the one that matters for a stone order. It crushes into hard, angular pieces in shades of tan and gray, with enough fines to pack tight in a base. Shale splits and softens when wet, so it has no place in a driveway. Sandstone varies with how well its grains are cemented. Where the map shows limestone, a stone load is likely to be crushed limestone, offered in sizes from #4 Crushed Stone to #89 Crushed Stone.^[1]

The soil at the eastern center points is silty. The USDA survey reads silt loam at Overland Park, moderately well drained, and silt loam at Kansas City, well drained. Olathe's center point shows silty clay loam that is well drained. Silt and clay hold water and lose strength when soaked, so a woven fabric under a stone base keeps them from working up into the gravel. Liberal's center point is different: loamy fine sand, somewhat excessively drained, which lets rain pass through quickly.^[2]

Ground height splits the same way. Overland Park's center point stands 1,050 feet above sea level and Olathe's 1,000 feet. Kansas City's reads 820 feet. Liberal's center point is far higher at 2,900 feet. Each figure is one spot on the map, so a lot on a slope or in a draw may sit well above or below it.^[3]

For a buyer, the common choices are the same on both sides of the state. Road Base and Driveway Gravel blend crushed stone with fines for a packed layer. #57 Crushed Stone and 3/4" Crushed Stone handle drives and drains. #89 Crushed Stone and 3/8" Crushed Stone suit walks and paver beds. On sandy ground like Liberal's, Decomposed Granite and Walkway Gravel pack into firm, low-water paths.^[2]

Learn how silt behaves before you dig. The silt mapped at Kansas City's center point is made of grains finer than sand, which pack firm when dry and turn soft and slick once soaked. A cut bank of silt can stand for a while and then slump after rain. Trenches for drains or footings in ground like that hold their shape better when they are filled with stone soon after digging.^[1]

Rain differs sharply between the two areas. The weather station used for Overland Park averages 40.7 inches of precipitation a year, Kansas City's 38.1 inches and Olathe's 37.5 inches. Liberal's station records 21.1 inches. On silt loam in the east, a yard can stay soft after a spring storm, so plan the drop on pavement. In Liberal, dry ground is firm most days, and wind and dust are the bigger concerns.^[4]

Cold days are common everywhere on the list. Liberal's station logs 128 days a year at 32 F or colder, Olathe's 110, Overland Park's 98 and Kansas City's 93. Snow at the Liberal station averages 14.4 inches a year, Overland Park's 13.8 inches and Kansas City's 11.0 inches. A winter load needs a cleared drop spot. Stone keeps well in the cold, but soil and sand clump when frozen and spread best after a thaw.^[4]

Suburban lots bring their own limits. Low limbs, overhead wires, mailboxes, tight cul-de-sacs and narrow side yards can block a truck. A raised dump bed needs open space above it. Keep the pile off sprinkler heads and valve boxes, which crack under weight, and lay a tarp first if it must go on grass. On the silty clay loam the survey reads at Olathe's center point, a wet lawn ruts deeply under a heavy truck.^[2]

Rural and western lots raise other questions. A long dirt lane can turn soft after rain or a thaw, and a driver needs to know about it in advance. On sandy ground like Liberal's center point reading, a truck can bog down in loose sand, so a firm, packed spot is the safer drop. Cover a pile of sand, soil or fine stone if strong wind is on the way.^[2]

Driveways are the most common order in the eastern suburbs. On silt loam like the survey shows at Overland Park's center point, strip the topsoil, grade a slope, lay woven fabric, and compact a thick layer of Road Base in lifts. Top it with #57 Crushed Stone or Driveway Gravel. With 98 days at 32 F or colder at the Overland Park station, crown the surface so water drains off before it can freeze in the base.^[2],[4]

Drainage comes next for many eastern homes. Silty clay loam slows water down, and runoff from roofs and patios collects along foundations. A French drain filled with Drain Rock or #57 Crushed Stone and wrapped in fabric gives that water a way out. A dry well of clean stone takes the flow from a downspout, and Riprap lines a swale or a culvert outlet. With 40.7 inches of yearly precipitation at the Overland Park station, these jobs keep foundations drier.^[2],[4]

Low-water yards suit the west. With 21.1 inches of yearly precipitation at the station used for Liberal, beds of River Rock, Pea Gravel or Decomposed Granite cut down on watering. Lay fabric beneath the stone, edge the beds, and run drip lines before spreading. On somewhat excessively drained loamy fine sand, Garden Soil mixed into planting holes helps new shrubs hold water.^[2],[4]

Garden beds in the east benefit from looser soil. Silt and clay pack tight, so a raised bed filled with Garden Soil, or Topsoil worked into the native ground, gives roots more room. Cover beds with Brown Shredded Mulch, Black Shredded Mulch or Red Mulch to hold moisture and stop crusting. Topsoil finishes a graded lawn before seed, and Fill Dirt raises low spots first.^[2]

Patios, paths and big jobs use the rest of the list. Pavers sit on compacted Road Base with a thin bed of Concrete Sand or Stone Dust Screenings, sloped away from the house. Walkway Gravel and Pea Gravel make simple paths. Wood Chips cover play areas and Playground Sand fills a sandbox. Crushed Concrete, Asphalt Millings, #4 Crushed Stone and Railroad Ballast serve long lanes and equipment pads, where the 128 freezing days a year at the Liberal station call for a thick base.^[4]