Dirt road
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A dirt road or track is a type of
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
Characteristics
Compared to a gravel road, a dirt road is not usually
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
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Dirt road in Fremont, California
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Wrightwood Street inLincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, c. 1880
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Mountain track in Switzerland
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Detail of a dry, loamy road
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Cycling on a rough road in Tanzania
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Spraying dirt road with water in Benin
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Dirt road in Brazil
References
- ISBN 978-1-4408-3495-0.
- ^ "Road Bumps: Why dirt roads develop a washboard surface". 2007-08-15. Retrieved 2022-12-06.