Gravel, Crushed Stone and Soil Delivery in Shreveport, LA

Fully Built Ground Downtown

The USDA soil survey maps the center point of ZIP 71101 as Urban land, and it counts 100 percent of that map unit as paved or built over.^[1]

Ground like this has been graded, filled and packed many times. Under a parking lot or an old building pad there may be layers of imported fill, broken concrete, brick and gravel from past work. Any new project starts by finding out what is actually there.^[1]

The USGS puts the elevation at the center point at 180 feet above sea level.^[2]

Downtown digging also means buried pipes and cables. Have utility lines marked before cutting into any lot, and expect old foundations or slabs to turn up under the surface. Breaking up and hauling out old concrete is often part of the job.^[1]

The Wilcox Group Beneath

The state geologic map shows the Wilcox Group (undifferentiated) under the center point, a Paleocene unit of sand, clay, lignite and limestone.^[3]

Clay in a rock mix like this can make the ground below fill drain slowly. Water that soaks through loose fill may stop at a clay layer and spread sideways, which can show up as damp spots in basements or soft patches in a lot after long rains.^[3]

Lignite is a soft, brown coal, and sand layers in the same group drain well, so conditions can change from one block to the next. A test hole before a big project shows which kind of ground you have.^[3]

Clay layers in a rock group like this can shrink in a long dry summer and swell again in the wet months. A thick, compacted stone base spreads that small movement out so a parking surface stays even.^[3]

Downtown Rain and Mild Winters

The NOAA normals station at Shreveport DWTN AP, LA, about 2 miles from the center point, averages 48.9 inches of precipitation each year.^[4]

Freezing nights are few. The station counts 29 days a year with a low of 32 F or colder. Its median last spring freeze is February 28, and its median first fall freeze is November 24.^[4]

With that much rain and so much pavement, runoff moves fast and collects in low corners. Gravel surfaces downtown need slope, edges and an outlet more than frost protection.^[1],[4]

Summer heat on dark pavement adds to the runoff problem. Storms that follow hot afternoons can dump a lot of water at once, and it all heads for the lowest corner of the block. A gravel lot that slopes toward a Drain Rock trench soaks up some of that flow before it reaches the street.^[1],[4]

Gravel Lots and Service Yards

Many downtown gravel jobs are small lots, alleys and service yards. Start by scraping off loose material and checking for soft spots. Dig out anything that pumps or squishes underfoot and replace it with compacted stone.^[1]

Lay a woven fabric where the subgrade is soft or clayey, then build the base with Road Base or Crushed Concrete in thin, rolled lifts. Asphalt Millings make a dark, firm surface that sheds dust and holds up to turning trucks. For a lighter finish, use 3/4" Crushed Stone or Driveway Gravel over the base.^[3]

Grade the lot toward a drain or a stone-filled trench of Drain Rock along the low side. The Louisiana road book covers its own stone base under Base Course Aggregates, Stone, Section 302 Class II Base Course, in the Louisiana Standard Specifications for Roads and Bridges (2026).^[4],[5]

Planters, Tree Wells and Pocket Gardens

Green space downtown is mostly planters, tree wells and small courtyards. Each needs a soil that drains but holds some water. Fill planters with Garden Soil. For larger beds, blend Topsoil with Compost.^[1]

Add a layer of Drain Rock at the bottom of deep planters only when they have an outlet. Without a drain hole, water collects in the stone and the soil above stays soggy.^[4]

Plant after the median last spring freeze of February 28. Cover beds with Black Shredded Mulch, Red Mulch or Wood Chips to slow evaporation in long, hot summers. River Rock and Pea Gravel give courtyards a clean, finished look.^[4]

Tree wells along a sidewalk need special care. Packed soil and pavement leave roots little air, so loosen the top of the well, add a thin layer of Compost and cover it with Wood Chips rather than stone. A ring of Pea Gravel or River Rock at the very edge keeps foot traffic from packing the mulch down.^[1]

Fixing Wet Spots Over Clay

When a lot or yard stays damp after rain, clay below the fill is a likely cause. A French drain helps. Dig a trench with a steady fall to a street drain or a lower spot, line it with fabric, lay perforated pipe and fill it with Drain Rock.^[3]

For downspouts that empty onto paving or packed ground, a splash pad of River Rock or #4 Crushed Stone spreads the flow and keeps it from undercutting edges. With 48.9 inches of yearly precipitation at the downtown station, these small fixes add up.^[4]

Crushed Concrete or Asphalt Millings for a Small Lot

Two recycled materials suit downtown lots well. Crushed Concrete is old pavement broken into angular pieces with fines. Wetted and rolled, it compacts into a hard, stable base that handles cars and delivery vans. It can serve as both base and surface on a utility lot, though it dusts a little in dry weather.^[1]

Asphalt Millings are ground-up road surface. They pack into a dark, firm layer that sheds water and stays dust free once rolled, and summer heat helps them bind. They make a tidy surface for a small customer lot or a rear parking area.^[4]

A common plan uses Crushed Concrete below for strength and Asphalt Millings on top for a cleaner, darker finish. Either one goes over fabric where the ground is soft or clayey.^[3]

A raised curb or a row of timbers along the lot edge keeps base stone from spreading onto the sidewalk each time a car turns in. An edge like that gives the runoff a clear line to follow toward the drain.^[4]

Sand for Masonry and Paver Repairs

Older brick walks and courtyards downtown often need resetting. Lift the loose pavers, add and compact a little Road Base where the bed has sunk, screed Concrete Sand smooth and relay the bricks. Sweep Mason Sand into the joints to lock them.^[1]

Mason Sand also goes into mortar for repointing brick planters and low walls. Fill Sand suits backfill around pipes and under small slabs, where it drains and compacts well.^[3]

Housing in ZIP 71101

The Census Bureau counts 4,574 housing units in ZIP 71101. Detached single-family houses make up 44 percent. The median home was built in 1960. Owners live in 32 percent of the occupied homes.^[6]

Shreveport as a whole has 90,007 housing units, 67 percent of them detached houses, with a citywide median build year of 1973.^[6]

Gravel Valet delivers stone, soil and mulch to downtown businesses, older homes and residential streets across the city.^[6]