A gravel driveway in Haʻikū or Kula can look perfect in October and be a gully by March. The fix is rarely more gravel. It's controlling where the water goes.
Why driveways wash out
Red volcanic soils erode fast once they're bare, and a driveway is a long, bare, sloped surface that collects water. With no crown or cross-slope, water runs straight down the middle and carries the surface away. Every heavy rain makes the channel deeper.
How a durable driveway is built
- Strip the soft topsoil and grade the subgrade so it sheds water.
- Crown or cross-slope it so water leaves the surface quickly instead of running along it.
- Add geotextile fabric on soft or clay ground so the base rock doesn't sink into the mud.
- Lay compacted base rock in layers, then a top course.
- Catch the water: roadside swales, water bars or rolling dips on long slopes, and culverts sized for big storms.
Permits
Maui County requires a driveway permit to build, rebuild, remove or repair a driveway that connects to a county road. Big grading jobs for a long driveway can also need a grading permit. See the permit guide. Call 811 before digging near the road, where utilities often run.
Your driveway and the reef
Unpaved roads are a known source of sediment on Maui. A University of Hawaiʻi study of West Maui looked at erosion from unpaved agricultural roads and found that fixing the worst "hotspots" first is the most cost-effective approach. Keeping your driveway's dirt on your property protects streams and reefs downhill. See erosion control and Maui's reefs.
Find contractors on our driveways and drainage page, or browse Haʻikū and East Maui.