Crushed Stone, Gravel and Soil Delivery in Tulsa, OK

Storms, Heat and a Few Cold Snaps

The NOAA normals station for this ZIP is Tulsa Intl AP, OK, about 7 miles away. It averages 41.0 inches of precipitation and 8.7 inches of snowfall a year.^[1]

Tulsa Intl counts 72 days a year with a low of 32 F or colder. Its median last spring freeze is March 31, and its median first fall freeze is November 4.^[1]

Spring and early summer storms can unload a lot of rain fast, and that is when a gravel drive or lot either drains or washes out. Most of the design work in a Tulsa project goes into sending storm water off the surface before it carries stone away.^[1]

Winter here swings between mild days and hard cold, with freezing rain now and then. A base that drains well keeps ice from forming inside it, and angular stone keeps traction on a slick morning.^[1]

Hail and wind do little to stone, but they bring down branches and debris that clog drains and swales. Clear the edges of a gravel lot after a big storm so the next rain can still drain.^[1]

Built Ground Over Old Rock

The USDA survey maps the ZIP's center point as Urban land, with urban land, paved or built over, covering 100 percent of the unit. Downtown ground is shaped by past building, so what lies under a lot can be fill, old foundations or native soil depending on the block.^[2]

The mapped geologic unit at the center point is the Seminole Formation, a Pennsylvanian rock made of shale, sandstone, conglomerate and coal.^[3]

A test hole tells you more than any map for a small project. Firm, gritty ground can take a base after compaction. Soft, sticky or wet ground needs fabric and a thicker layer of stone. Broken brick and concrete in old fill are fine under a base if they are compacted and stable.^[2]

Where shale sits close to the surface, digging gets hard and water can perch on top of the rock. In that case, grade the base so water runs off along the top of the rock rather than pooling there.^[3]

Sandstone and conglomerate weather into gritty, stony soil where they come near the surface, while shale weathers into clay. A dig that turns up gritty, stony ground drains better than one that turns up sticky clay.^[3]

A Gravel Lot That Handles Storm Water

Grade the lot first, with a fall toward the street, a swale or a drain inlet. Even a gentle slope moves storm water off the surface before it soaks the base. Compact the subgrade and fix any soft spots by digging them out and filling with stone.^[1]

Roll out woven fabric on soft or mixed ground. Spread a bottom course of #4 Crushed Stone or 1-1/2" Crushed Gravel and compact it, then add compacted Road Base. The coarse layer carries weight and drains, while the Road Base binds into a hard, tight layer that sheds rain.^[2]

Top a lot with 3/4" Crushed Stone or #57 Crushed Stone for a clean, draining surface. Asphalt Millings and Crushed Concrete are recycled options that pack firm under trucks and cut down on dust and loose stone.^[1]

Along the low edge, a trench of Drain Rock or a swale lined with River Rock gives runoff a path. Riprap at the outlet keeps fast water from carving a gully where it leaves the lot.^[1]

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation calls for Aggregate Base, Type A, in Section 303 of its Standard Specifications for Highway Construction (2019). A highway base is a graded, compacted stone layer built to carry heavy loads, and a parking lot or drive borrows the same idea.^[4]

Recycled Stone for a Downtown Lot

Crushed Concrete and Asphalt Millings are both made from old pavement, and both suit a city lot. Crushed Concrete is angular and gray, packs hard under trucks and works as a base or a surface. It can raise a little dust in dry weather until traffic seals it.^[2]

Asphalt Millings are ground-up blacktop. They pack best in hot weather, when the old binder softens and the pieces knit together into a firm, dark surface that sheds rain and resists washboarding. Laid in summer, they set faster than in the cool months.^[1]

Either one makes a solid layer over compacted Road Base. For a lot that needs a clean, uniform look, a top dressing of 3/4" Crushed Stone over Crushed Concrete gives that finish.^[1]

Housing in ZIP 74103

ZIP 74103 counts 721 housing units in the Census. Detached single-family houses make up 3 percent of them, against 62 percent across Tulsa's 192,797 housing units.^[5]

The median home in the ZIP dates to 1939 or earlier, while the median across Tulsa is 1973. The owner-occupied share of occupied homes in 74103 is 1 percent.^[5]

Downtown landscape work is mostly about planters, courtyards and small lots. Planters filled with Garden Soil and topped with Black Shredded Mulch hold moisture through hot summers, and Pea Gravel or River Rock dress the space between plantings.^[5]

A small downtown lot leaves little room for a pile. Choose the drop spot before the truck comes, and lay a tarp so sand and soil do not stain the pavement.^[5]

#57 Crushed Stone or Pea Gravel for a Walkway

#57 Crushed Stone and Pea Gravel both make a quick, simple path, but they behave differently after a storm. #57 Crushed Stone is angular, so it locks in place, holds on a slight slope and stays put when water runs across it.^[1]

Pea Gravel is round and smooth, pleasant underfoot and good looking, but the stones roll on a slope and drift in fast water. Keep it to level paths with firm edging, or to patios and play areas where it can be raked back into place.^[1]

For a path that needs to be firm enough for a wheelbarrow or a wheelchair, Stone Dust Screenings or Walkway Gravel compact into a smooth surface that still drains.^[1]

Gardens Through Hot Summers

Plant tender annuals after the March 31 median last spring freeze at Tulsa Intl. Raised beds filled with Garden Soil and Compost drain well after spring storms and warm up early in the season.^[1]

Mulch is the best defense against summer heat. Spread Brown Shredded Mulch, Black Shredded Mulch or Red Mulch a couple of inches deep to hold moisture and keep roots cooler. Top it up in fall ahead of the November 4 median first freeze.^[1]

Topsoil fills low spots in a lawn and levels the ground before seeding or sod. Fill Dirt raises a grade, compacted in thin layers, and Fill Sand backfills trenches where water must pass. Concrete Sand and Mason Sand handle paver bedding and brick work.^[1]

Wood Chips make a rough, long-lasting cover for paths under trees and around play sets. They break down slowly and keep mud off shoes after a storm.^[1]

Ice storms can snap branches and glaze beds in winter, but most perennials come through with a good layer of mulch over their roots.^[1]