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35-425: Igaliku is located southeast of Narsarsuaq , on a peninsula jutting off the mainland of Greenland near the eastern shore of upper Tunulliarfik Fjord . Access to Igaliku from Narsarsauq is cheaper and easier by landing at the small harbor of Itilleq and then crossing the isthmus 4 km (2.5 mi). Igaliku is best known for the ruins of Garðar , once the religious heart of 12th-century Norse Greenland . The area

70-501: A base course of compacted earth or other material, sometimes macadamised , covered with one or more different layers of gravel. Graders are used to "blade" the road's surface (pass frequently to mix and distribute the gravel) to produce a more extreme camber compared to a paved road to aid drainage, to produce an A-shaped surface to the road called a "crown", as well as to construct drainage ditches and embankments in low-lying areas. Cellular confinement systems can be used to prevent

105-561: A cellular confinement system will prevent the washboard-like corrugations from occurring. Gravel roads are often found in cold climates because they are less vulnerable to freeze / thaw damage than asphalt roads. The inferior surface of gravel is not an issue if the road is covered by snow and ice for extended periods. Dust control is routine practice on gravel roads in order to reduce the need for frequent maintenance, mitigate health concerns, and to prevent dust-related damage to roadside vegetation. Some common dust-suppression techniques are

140-469: A 1.1 °C (1.98 °F) margin escapes being classified as polar climate that is typical for the rest of Greenland. Despite its rather chilly temperatures, Narsarsuaq is one of the few places in Greenland with abundant naturally growing trees. This is due to several factors. Its geographical position is extremely sheltered from harsh subpolar winds by multiple layers of tall mountains to the west, and there

175-415: A binder. Crushed stone, also called road metal, is used because gravel with fractured faces will stay in place better than rounded river pebbles. A good gravel for a gravel road will have a higher percentage of fines than gravel used as a subbase for a paved road. This often causes problems if a gravel road is paved without adding sand and gravel sized stone to dilute the percentage of fines. A gravel road

210-491: A church including the congregation building, and a school, Atuarfik Igaliku (Greenlandic for "the school of Igaliku"). There is only one road into the village (called King's Road), which connects Igaliku to a small dock at the farming settlement, Itilleq. The population of Igaliku has been stable in the last two decades. Igaliku has a tundra climate ( ET ) with cool summers and cold winters. Narsarsuaq Narsarsuaq (lit. Great Plain ; old spelling: Narssarssuaq )

245-660: A hard gravel to a softer earth embedded with small stones. Not all laterite and murram roads are therefore strictly gravel roads. Laterite and murram which contains a significant proportion of clay becomes very slippery when wet, and in the rainy season, it may be difficult even for four-wheel drive vehicles to avoid slipping off very cambered roads into the drainage ditches at the side of the road. As it dries out, such laterite can become very hard, like sun-dried bricks . Gravel roads require much more frequent maintenance than paved roads, especially after wet periods and when accommodating increased traffic. Wheel motion shoves material to

280-482: A high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicle is required to travel effectively on a road, especially where large potholes and/or waterbars are present. Switchbacks are employed to make the road passable through steep terrain. These roads rapidly fall into disrepair and quickly become impassable. Remnants of old roads can exist for decades. They are eventually erased by washout , erosion , and ecological succession . Logging roads are constructed to provide access to

315-472: A narrow, winding, unpaved road that adds to the time (and haul costs) of the few trips. A main haul road serving a large area, however, will be used by many trucks each day, and each trip will be shorter (saving time and money) if the road is straighter and wider, with a smoother surface. Logging trucks are generally given right of way. In areas that the practice is regulated, on non-highway roads with heavy logging traffic may be "radio-controlled", meaning that

350-561: A uniform distribution of the compound. Compaction and the forming of the road surface is then performed to finalize the process. Wet application begins by spraying the road surface with a 30% concentration solution of calcium chloride. After the solution is applied, the top 5–8 cm of gravel is mixed through numerous passes of a grader. The road is then formed and compacted. Although well-constructed and graded gravel roads are suitable for speeds of up to 100 km/h (60 mph), driving on them requires far more attention to variations of

385-412: Is a heavy oceanic influence that results in a rather stable and steady amount of precipitation year-round. The oceanic influence can be observed in the occasional Atlantic storms that often pound the region (resulting in a fairly wet climate) and a moderate amount of precipitation per year (which could also be considered quite high by Greenlandic standards). Due to the fair climatic conditions, Narsarsuaq

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420-690: Is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland . It had 123 inhabitants in 2020. There is a thriving tourism industry in and around Narsarsuaq, whose attractions include a great diversity of wildlife, gemstones, tours to glaciers , and an airfield museum. Narsarsuaq is located within the Eastern Settlement of the Greenlandic Norse ; the Brattahlíð farm of Erik the Red established in 985

455-478: Is a type of unpaved road surfaced with gravel that has been brought to the site from a quarry or stream bed . Gravel roads are common in less-developed nations, and also in the rural areas of developed nations such as Canada and the United States . In New Zealand, and other Commonwealth countries, they may be known as metal roads . They may be referred to as "dirt roads" in common speech, but that term

490-466: Is maintained between Qassiarsuk and Narsarsuaq around the fjord. It has two river crossings without bridges but off-road vehicles ford them, although boat is also used. There is also a regular boat service to Qaqortoq , 85 kilometres (53 mi; 46 nmi), almost hours. The population of the settlement is strictly tied to the traffic dynamics at the local airport. Narsarsuaq experiences boundary subarctic climate ( Köppen : Dfc ), which with

525-557: Is quite different from a 'gravel drive', popular as private driveways in the United Kingdom . This uses clean gravel consisting of uniform, rounded stones and small pebbles . In Africa and parts of Asia and South America , laterite soils are used to build dirt roads . However laterite, called murram in East Africa , varies considerably in the proportion of stones (which are usually very small) to earth and sand. It ranges from

560-431: Is taken into consideration for the selection of gravel size distribution. The surface layer will follow the crown established by the subgrade layer. Scarification of the subgrade layer prior to application of the surface gravel layer can be performed to increase the mixing and adherence between layers. Construction of the road surface is done gradually through multiple applications of layers of gravel, with compaction prior to

595-955: Is the site of Greenland's only botanical garden, the "Greenlandic Arboretum". On the lower slopes of the Mellemlandet ridge, close to Narsarsuaq Airport, there is a unique 'botanical garden of the Arctic', called the Greenlandic Arboretum . The goal is to establish a live collection of trees and bushes native to both the arctic and the alpine tree-lines of the entire Northern Hemisphere. Founded in 1988, it encompasses 15 hectares and it shelters 110 plant species, mostly varieties of boreal taiga trees, such as Siberian larch , lodgepole pine , white spruce , Sitka spruce , and various bushes. Many individual trees are tagged or otherwise marked. The plantation currently has more than 50,000 trees of various provenances. Gravel road A gravel road

630-500: Is used more for unimproved roads with no surface material added. If well constructed and maintained, a gravel road is an all-weather road. Compared to sealed roads , which require large machinery to work and pour concrete or to lay and smooth a bitumen -based surface, gravel roads are easy and cheap to build. However, compared to dirt roads , all-weather gravel highways are quite expensive to build, as they require front loaders , dump trucks , graders , and roadrollers to provide

665-401: Is used, a gravel layer with a minimum thickness of 6" (15 cm) is suggested to ensure the fabric remains unexposed. Road construction guidelines suggest that the crown in the road surface begins at the center point in the road, and does not exceed a 4% gradation from the center to the edge of the roadway. The surface layer is constructed atop the subgrade layer. The amount of precipitation

700-498: The United States Forest Service to access remote undeveloped areas. These roads are built mainly for the purposes of the logging industry and forest management workers, although in some cases they are also used for backcountry recreation access. Networks of tributary roads branch off from a trunk FSR. Roads are usually named after a regional district, and branches have an alphanumeric designation. Typically,

735-412: The washboarding effect. Construction of a gravel road begins with the base or subgrade layer. The expected road traffic volume and the average daily truck passage must be considered during the design process as they will influence the thickness of this layer, along with the balances of gravel and fines. Geotextile fabric may be laid to improve the stability of the subgrade layer. When geotextile fabric

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770-651: The Atlantic sometimes replicate the North Atlantic Ferry Route, stopping at Narsarsuaq Airport and other World War II airfields, including Goose Bay, Newfoundland in Canada and Reykjavík in Iceland. Narsarsuaq has a sea port where passenger boats and cruise ships can moor. It is located 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) south of the terminal building, so bus transfers are arranged. A 26 kilometres (16 mi) gravel road

805-693: The United States would jointly oversee the airbase. Although it closed in 1958, it was reopened the following year by the Danish government after the loss of the vessel Hans Hedtoft and all crew south off Cape Farewell . The hospital was destroyed by a fire in 1972, although the ruins remain. Narsarsuaq Airport serves as the principal airfield in southwestern Greenland, with seasonal international flights from Iceland operated by Icelandair . It has also commuter helicopter flights from communities of southern Greenland operated by Air Greenland. Small planes crossing

840-514: The addition of the following layer. During reparation of a damaged road, ensuring that any washboarding, rutting, potholes, and erosion is adequately removed will minimize future need for reparation. Windrowing can be performed along the edges of roads in dry climates to allow easy access to gravel material for small repairs. The gravel used consists of varying amount of crushed stone, sand , and fines. Fines are silt or clay particles smaller than .075 millimetres (0.0030 in), which can act as

875-567: The application of a chloride solution ( calcium chloride , magnesium chloride , sodium chloride ), the application of a resin compound, or the incorporation of natural clay into the gravel mixture during the construction phase. Calcium chloride provides dust suppression through its hygroscopic properties, allowing moisture to be drawn in and retained by the compound. Calcium chloride can be applied in either dry (pellet or flake) or wet (dissolved pre-prepared solution) form. Successful applications can be effective for up to three years, depending on

910-488: The forest for logging and other forest management operations. They are commonly narrow, winding, and unpaved, but main haul roads can be widened, straightened or paved if traffic volume warrants it. The choice of road design standards is a tradeoff between construction costs and haul costs (which the road is designed to reduce). A road that serves only a few stands will be used by relatively few trucks over its lifetime and so it makes sense to save construction costs with

945-481: The general public, and as a link to rural communities. Driving on resource roads can be hazardous for many reasons, including limited visibility , unusual road geometry , and the presence of wildlife . Disused resource roads can pose a danger to both drivers and passersby, due to the danger of landslides forming on unstable, poorly-drained ground. A forest service road is a type of rudimentary access road, built by private companies, or government entities such as

980-430: The outside (as well as in-between travelled lanes), leading to rutting, reduced water-runoff, and eventual road destruction if unchecked. As long as the process is interrupted early enough, simple re-grading is sufficient, with material being pushed back into shape. Segments of gravel roads on grades also rut easily as a result of flowing water. When grading or building the road, waterbars are used to direct water off

1015-432: The road. As an alternative method, humps can be formed in the gravel along the road to impede water flow, thereby reducing rutting. Another problem with gravel roads is washboarding — the formation of corrugations across the surface at right angles to the direction of travel. Narrow-spaced washboarding can develop on gravel roads due to inconsistent moisture levels in the gravel, poor quality gravel, and vehicular stress to

1050-526: The road. Washboarding can also occur when graders exceed recommended speeds during the construction or maintenance phase causing the blade to bounce on the surface creating a pattern of widely-spaced corrugations. Corrugations from washboarding can become severe enough to cause vibration in vehicles so that bolts loosen or cracks form in components. Proper grading is needed to remove the corrugations, and reconstruction with careful choice of good quality gravel can help prevent them reforming. Additionally, installing

1085-536: The surface, and it is easier to lose control than on a paved road. In addition to potholes, ruts and loose stony or sandy ridges at the edges or in the middle of the road, problems associated with driving on gravel roads include: According to the British Columbia Ministry of Forests, resource roads are typically "one- or two-lane gravel roads built for industrial purposes to access natural resources in remote areas". They may be used by industrial vehicles or

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1120-438: The weather and traffic conditions for the roadway. Dry application of this type of dust suppressant is begun by first preparing the road surface through grader passes, moving the top 5–8 cm of gravel creating windrows on the edges of the road. Calcium chloride is then applied to the road surface, and the road is then sprayed with water until the compound is dissolved. A grader "blades" the surface in numerous passes to ensure

1155-477: Was at the very heart of the Eastern Settlement and has been extensively archaeologically excavated since the 1830s. There are several historical graves in the area, although most have not presently been identified. The nearby area was documented by New York fine art photographer, Steve Giovinco , as part of a grant from the Scandinavian-American Foundation. The settlement has a general store,

1190-525: Was built in order to deal with casualties from the Normandy landings . After the end of the war, BW1 continued to be developed, and was a major hospital site during the Korean War , with the military hospital expanded to 1,000 beds. However, it was rendered surplus by the advent of mid-air refueling and the construction of the larger Thule Air Base in northern Greenland. In 1951, it was agreed that Denmark and

1225-538: Was located on the opposite bank of Tunulliarfik Fjord , where the modern settlement of Qassiarsuk is situated. In 1941 the United States built an air base at Narsarsuaq code-named Bluie West One (BW1). ( Bluie was the Allied military code name for Greenland.) Thousands of planes used BW1 as a stepping stone on their way from the aircraft factories in North America to the battlegrounds of Europe. A 600-bed hospital

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