 It's not too often you see a road like this one. The fact is nearly every state road has been paved. But to anyone using them, they're just as important as any other road. So in this program, we'll look at the procedures to follow to keep these non-hard surfaces in the best condition possible. In a nutshell, this operation involves pulling the borrow pit along one side of the road and making successive passes to pull the material across the road without changing the road's original crown, followed by pulling the other borrow pit and then pulling the material back to where you started from. Again, without changing the road's original crown. By following this procedure, you're not only making the surface smooth, you're providing good drainage along each side of the road. And if you don't know it already, maintaining drainage is one of the best ways to keep a road from developing problems. Okay, that's a quick look at the procedures and what we're trying to accomplish. But before we look at each step of the operation in detail, there are a couple more things you should know. To begin with, you should be aware that the amount of moisture in the road can greatly affect the success of the operation. Normally, these roads are best maintained in the spring and fall when there's enough moisture to work the material easily. If we look a little closer, we see an even windrow being formed. Now that's important. If the material were bone dry, the windrow would be uneven and there'd be more a feeling of scraping and ripping the surface. At that point, shaping and smoothing is virtually impossible. Of course, it's your supervisor who schedules the work, but you should be aware of the moisture concerns so you can discuss the situation if you run into problems. Along with moisture, the condition of the road will determine exactly what has to be done. It may be that you'll have to arrange for additional material to be spread into efficient areas. Blading the existing material back across the road may be enough. In fact, different sections of the same road may require different procedures. The point is, use your judgment. Remember, we have to maintain the road's original crown and provide good drainage. So with moisture, shape, and drainage in mind, let's look at each step of the operation. As I said earlier, the first thing to do is to pull the borrow pit along one edge of the road. The idea here is to clean the pit to provide good drainage. So don't be concerned with reshaping. Just apply enough downward pressure on the blade to remove any excess material and obstructions from the borrow pit. You should continue along this first pass for about a half an hour. That's because it'll take about six to eight passes to blade the material from one side to the other and then back again. And you have to allow time for hauling and placing additional material as well. So don't begin more work than you can finish the same day. And on this pass and every other pass, be on the lookout for traffic. If necessary, place additional warning signs to protect both you and the public. Okay, this is what it should look like after your first pass. A clean borrow pit with a windrow at the edge of the road. After you've turned around to begin the next pass, be especially careful not to change the crown of the road. All you want to do here is cut the surface slightly to smooth it and at the same time, pull the windrowed material across it to fill in any low areas. Remember, if the road doesn't have the correct crown, the water won't drain properly. When you're through with the second pass, the road should be sloped slightly toward the borrow pit and the windrow should be near the center of the road. The same procedure holds for the next pass. Cut the surface slightly to smooth it and fill in the low spots with the windrowed material. And that brings us to the other borrow pit. Don't do anything more than clean the borrow pit. Apply slight downward pressure and position the blade to leave a windrow at the edge of the road. Borrow pits and the entire road graded, you're ready to pull the material back across the road. Be careful not to change the crown of the road. Essentially, all you're doing here is smoothing the surface. So no cutting is required at this point. In fact, the blade should be slightly above the surface so that you reduce the size of the windrow with each pass. Done correctly, the final pass should put the trailing edge of the blade along the borrow pit without leaving a windrow. And there's the completed job, a smooth uniform surface with clean borrow pits along each edge. But sometimes the depressions are just too deep to smooth out with the existing material. In that case, the only solution is to bring in more material. Basically, all that's involved is to dump the material where it's needed and then smooth it out across the depressed area. Of course, the entire procedure we just looked at should be repeated if necessary. And those are the procedures to follow for maintaining non-hard surfaces. Remember, make sure the road has the proper amount of moisture before you begin. When you're through, the road will have the proper crown. Both borrow pits will be clear for drainage and the road will be smooth and safe for the traveling public.