It’s amazing what you can use for outdoor construction these days. Everything from sand and limestone to crushed stone and mixed concrete can go together to assemble long-lasting structures. This has important implications for property protection, roads, driveways, landscaping, patios, and several other exterior surfaces.
You can even leverage sand and seashells to make roads, something the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has done for a long time. We’d like to preview how that works. FDOT rock and sand are some of the top ways we build and create rock or Rip Rap solutions for commercial and residential clients in Florida. 
What is FDOT Road Base?
Whenever we discuss the “road base,” we’re talking about the particular materials used on top of the subgrade of a concrete surface (in this case, for roads and highways). It often consists of crushed gravel or rocks, but there are other ways to produce this.
The FDOT uses a road base derived from a synthesis of shells, sand, lime, calcium, and other items. This takes advantage of our proximity to the shoreline, where there’s no shortage of such materials. Shells are actually a terrific renewable resource because they come from marine creatures that die and shed their shells, which wash up onto the shoreline. After that happens, aggregate manufacturers can produce a slurry of sand and seashells to make portions of the road base.
Most of the time, this involves the more delicate shells, those that are easier to crush, whereas the larger/harder shells are less amenable for road purposes. Once shells and sand have been crushed and compressed together, they exhibit a crumbly, dark-gray substance, which is easy to spread to make roads. This helps to form a solid mass, sturdy enough to support daily road traffic.
Upon application, the road base would normally take about a day or two to dry.
Delta Aggregate – The Rock Masters in Florida
Florida, like any other part of the country, creates a road base that capitalizes on the natural resources that are most abundant nearby. Our work involves both private and public construction using rocks like FDOT Rip Rap, Army Corps Rip Rap, Armor Rock, Grain Rock, and other dependable aggregates. This goes into paving roads, building bridges, protecting drainage ditches, and more. Chances are if it involves rocks (especially Rip Rap), we’ve had our hands on it one way or another.
Don’t forget that no project is too big or too small for the rock professionals at Delta Aggregate. All of our workmanship and materials meet or exceed the strict specifications of the FDOT and Army Corps of Engineers. Contact us anytime to learn more about FDOT Rip Rap, or other rock materials, by calling us at 815-791-8377.