Clay Soils are Tough on Streets Too

The Branyon and Houston-Black clay soils that my neighborhood sits atop heaves and breaks up streets in addition to foundations.

The street two blocks behind me is getting an extreme makeover.
street repairs needed after clay soil movement
This street feeds a nearby school and takes a fair amount of traffic. School buses, heavy city trucks and normal traffic takes it’s toll on the road.

The city has been putting band-aids on it for some years now, filling in a hole here and dent there. But the time came for a re-build and here is a picture of the project.
Branyon clay soil exposed during street repair
The second photo shows you what contributed to the break-up: clay soil that swells when wet and shrinks when dry. If I’m reading the soil survey map of the neighborhood right, you are looking at an example of Branyon clay. Not good for concrete streets, not good for concrete slab foundations.

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