 By facilitating proper water drainage, a well-maintained traveled way protects the road, the driver and the environment. A traveled way that falls into disrepair will fail to disperse water correctly, increasing erosion of both the road and its surroundings, and contributing to the buildup of damaging stream sediment. Lack of maintenance or poor maintenance can result in a destroyed road template, a condition that allows standing water to be absorbed into the subgrade. Three road templates, crowned, insloped and outslope, have been designed to move water off the traveled way and disperse it safely into the environment. In this program, we'll take a look at smoothing and reshaping the two primary methods of maintaining these templates. Smoothing is considered light maintenance and can be used to correct minor imperfections. Reshaping is used to repair major problems in the traveled way. Depending on requirements, both methods are commonly used to perform routine maintenance and to correct problems. Smoothing involves skimming the road surface with the mold board in a tilt forward position, filling minor road imperfections. Even though fewer passes are needed for smoothing than for reshaping, it's important to be aware of the template design of the road you're smoothing. Careless smoothing can flatten a crown or level an insloped or outsloped road, destroying the road's ability to properly handle water. Always begin work by placing traffic control devices and safety signs to protect drivers. Then water the roadway surface. Besides making cutting easier, keeping down dust, and promoting mixing of the material during the blading operation, proper moisture content also improves surface material compaction. A compacted surface will last longer and erode less than a non-compacted one. Your mold board should be set in a forward position before you begin. Adjust its bottom edge according to the road's template. Angle the mold board to approximately 30 to 45 degrees from the motor grader's axis. Begin smoothing from either edge of the road. Apply enough downward pressure to the mold board to allow removal of minor surface imperfections and to release sufficient material to fill shallow potholes or ripples. Adjust the overall angle of the mold board within the 30 to 45 degree range as necessary to maintain a steady amount of material in front of the mold board as you go. The formation of a small windrow in the center of the road indicates that you're releasing adequate material. As you work, avoid driving over the windrow and compacting it. Driving over the windrow will alter your blade position, creating irregularities in the smoothing. Compacting the windrow makes it harder to later spread the material evenly over the road. When selecting the lengths of sections to work, take advantage of the location of turnouts and turnaround points. During your second pass, you'll normally repeat the process outlined in the first pass, except that you drive on the other side of the road. Again, move the windrow material to the road's centerline. Subsequent passes should spread the surface materials from the windrow back over the traveled way. Adjust the mold board angle to spread half of the surfacing material in one length, leaving the remainder for the opposite length. With the mold board in a forward position, adjust the cutting edge to match the desired template and proceed spreading the material evenly across the road. Then, gradually raising the mold board, spread the surfacing material as evenly as possible to a uniform thickness. The actual number of passes needed will depend on the width of the road. Once you've smoothed the entire traveled way, add a small amount of water. Finish by compacting the road surface and shoulders with a roller, a water truck, or a greater mounted roller. When the smoothing operation is complete, remove the traffic control devices and safety signs. Reshaping is used to correct severe surface irregularities in the traveled way, such as deep ruts, washboards, or potholes. Unlike smoothing, reshaping cuts through the surfacing down to the bottom of all surface irregularities and redefines the template of the road. Reshaping also mixes and reprocesses surface materials to improve the stability of the road surface. If you encounter damage that extends deep into the subgrade, the road probably needs repair that can't be performed by a grader alone. As in any road work, before reshaping a road, place your traffic control devices and safety signs. In addition to watering, you may need to scarify the traveled way. Scarification and adequate moisture content will facilitate cutting, control of dust, and compaction. Details of the scarification and watering process may vary from region to region, but the actual reshaping procedure remains the same no matter where you are. Your first pass is a cutting pass, typically starting on the ditch side of the road. Angle the mold board in a position slightly back from vertical to facilitate a cutting action. The horizontal angle should be approximately 30 to 45 degrees from the motor grader's axis. Cut deep enough to remove all surface imperfections and restore the crown template. Move the surfacing material from the ditch side to a point just across the centerline of the road. Accomplishing this may require more than one pass. Retrieve any lost surfacing material on the outside road shoulder, blading it toward the center of the roadway to be incorporated with the material being cut from the traveled way. The windrow you leave should be larger than the one left during a smoothing operation. Subsequent passes are also cutting passes. Cut from the outside edge of the road toward the centerline. Again, this may require more than one pass depending on the width of the road. Be careful to protect the crown. Do not cut the crown with the mold board. Multiple cutting passes may be needed to correct more serious problems, like potholes, washboards, or gullies. Another way to fix problem areas is to scarify deep imperfections rather than making additional cutting passes. Once cutting is complete, begin mixing the surface material. Capture all of the loosened surface material and move it towards the ditch. The surfacing material should be rolling and mixing throughout this operation, adjusting the pitch of the mold board forward may facilitate optimum mixing action. The angle of the mold board should allow placement of the mixed windrow approximately one foot from the ditch. This spacing will allow tracking room for the inside wheels of the grater during subsequent layout passes and prevent the material from falling into the ditch during the next pass. Keep all wheels off the windrow as it is forming. Driving over the windrow would alter the mold board position, creating irregularities in the reshaping and making it harder to later spread the windrow material evenly over the road. The mixed windrow should be consistent in size throughout its length to ensure even distribution of surface thickness in the layout process. Now begin the layout process. Normally, you'll need to adjust the mold board position so that it tilts fully forward. However, if your grater is equipped with a carbide bit system, it must remain in the vertical position in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. Lay out half of the mixed surface material on the ditch side of the road, spreading it in an even mat following the established road template. As you do this, place the remainder of the material in a windrow just across the crown. Depending on the width of the road, this may require multiple passes. Remember to keep your speed slow and steady to prevent the grater from hopping and to minimize irregularities. Spread the remaining windrow to the opposite side of the crown over the remaining traveled way. It's important to maintain the design width of the traveled way, being careful not to widen the road or lose surfacing over the side of the road. If you have excess surfacing, spread it on the roadway or place it in an area where it can later be reclaimed. Your work shouldn't leave any unplanned berms that might disrupt the road's drainage systems. When you've finished your last layout pass, water the surface. Compact the damp surface, including the shoulder. This will assist in bonding the fine particles to larger ones. A compacted surface will last longer and a road less than a non-compacted one. Begin by placing traffic control devices and safety signs. Water and scarify as needed prior to beginning work. The first pass is a cutting pass, typically starting on the inside of the road. Cut through the surface layer and reestablish the original road template. Move the resulting windrow towards the outside of the road. Typically on the second pass, the operator will cut from the outside towards the inside. Depending on road width, you may combine the new windrow with the windrow from the previous pass. It may be necessary to make multiple cutting passes or scarify the road to correct more serious problems, like potholes, washboards, or gullies. Next, combine the windrows, mixing and moving them toward the inside of the road. Adjust the vertical pitch of the moldboard to obtain a maximum mixing and rolling action. The mixed windrow should be consistent in size throughout its length to ensure even surface thickness in the layout process. Place the mixed windrow about one foot from the edge of the traveled way, allowing tracking room for the greater tire. Begin the layout procedure on the inside of the road, spreading the surface material toward the outside edge. Adjust the moldboard in a full forward position. If your grater is equipped with a carbide bit system, keep the tips in a vertical position. Leave enough surface material in the windrow to complete the next pass. Keep your speed slow and steady. In the final pass, spread the remaining surface material towards the outside of the road. For proper drainage, the completed surface should be in slope or out slope. Spread any remaining material evenly over the traveled way or place it in an area where it can later be reclaimed. Best results can be achieved through some form of surface and shoulder compaction. Occasionally, you'll need to maintain roads that include a combination of in-sloped, out-sloped, and crowned segments. In this situation, take special care with the transition sections between the different segments. Decrease your speed to allow smooth, accurate transitions and prevent irregularities. To ensure driver safety, the length of the transition must be maintained to the design speed of the road. By correctly and promptly smoothing and reshaping roads as their condition requires, you not only fix imperfections in the traveled way, but you actually design longevity into the road. Being vigilant and selective in the upkeep of the roads assures their durability and usefulness while protecting the surrounding ecosystems.