How Much Does a Gravel or Caliche Driveway Cost in Central Texas?
National cost guides put an installed gravel driveway at about $1.25 to $4 per square foot. Another guide runs $4 to $10 per square foot. On a drive 12 feet wide, the lower range works out to $15 to $48 per foot of length. A 100 foot drive at that width lands near $1,500 to $4,800.
Those are market numbers, not our price list. Length and depth set how much rock a drive takes. Grading and culverts fall under site work for driveways and ranch roads, and they move the price too. Rock already on the route changes the math as well.
What Does a Gravel Driveway Cost Per Foot?
Cost guides price gravel drives by the square foot. Per foot of length is that price times the width. The table uses a drive 12 feet wide.
| What is priced | Published market range | Kind of source |
|---|---|---|
| Installed gravel drive | $1.25 to $4 per square foot | national guide, 2026 |
| Installed gravel drive | $4 to $10 per square foot | national guide, 2025 |
| Per foot of length, 12 feet wide | $15 to $48, or $48 to $120 | the two ranges times 12 |
| 100 foot drive, 12 feet wide | $1,500 to $4,800, or $4,800 to $12,000 | the same math on 1,200 square feet |
| Private road, 530 by 16 feet | $10,600 to $33,920 | a national guide’s own example |
The guides do not agree, so read both ranges as rough markers. What the ground needs before rock goes down decides where a drive lands. The private road line matters if your drive is long. It works out to about $20 to $64 per foot of length.
What Does a Load of Caliche or Road Base Cost?
Rock is sold by the cubic yard or the ton, then trucked in. One national guide says standard delivery trucks carry 10 to 15 cubic yards. One Austin area supplier sells road base and caliche rock as one product. Its posted price in October 2026 was $38 per cubic yard delivered.
| Material | Published price | Kind of source |
|---|---|---|
| Crusher run, the usual base mix | $20 to $25 per cubic yard | national guide, 2026 |
| Crusher run, delivered | $25 to $50 per ton | national guide, 2025 |
| Crushed stone, delivered | $30 to $60 per ton | national guide, 2025 |
| Caliche | $20 to $250 per cubic yard | national guide, 2026 |
| Road base or caliche, Austin area | $38 per cubic yard delivered | one supplier’s posted price, October 2026 |
| One truckload | 10 to 15 cubic yards | national guide, 2026 |
At $20 to $38 a yard, one load of base runs about $200 to $570. Spreading and compaction come on top of that. Delivery often costs extra past about 5 miles, near $10 a mile in one guide. That wide caliche range is why a local posted price makes a better yardstick.
A drive 100 feet long and 12 feet wide holds about 22 cubic yards at 6 inches deep. One guide says to order 10 to 15 percent extra for compaction and spillage. That comes to two or three loads.
What Is the Difference Between Base and Surface Rock?
A gravel drive goes down in layers. One national guide sets the minimum at 5 to 6 inches in all. That is a 3 to 4 inch base with 2 to 3 inches of surface rock on top. The guide says drives that carry trucks or RVs need 8 to 12 inches.
The base carries the weight. Crusher run works there because its stone dust packs tight around the larger rock. The surface is what tires touch. The same guide calls 3/4 inch to 1 inch crushed stone ideal for the top layer.
In Texas, caliche counts as base rock. TxDOT’s 2024 spec for flexible base, the foundation course of a road, lists caliche as one of its material types.
Do You Need a Culvert, and What Does One Cost?
A drive that sheds water keeps its rock. Where a drive crosses a draw or a ditch, a culvert carries the water under it. One national guide puts culverts or drains at $500 to $2,000.
The Texas A and M Forest Service road guide sizes culverts for the flow of heavy rains. Its size chart starts at 18 inches across. It calls for cover over a pipe of at least half its diameter, and never less than a foot.
Where a drive meets a state road like FM 150, the owner applies to TxDOT on Form 1058. Its access manual says ditch drainage cannot be blocked, and TxDOT approves the pipe size.
On a county road, ask the county. Hays County posts its own driveway specifications and diagrams. Setting a pipe means digging, and Texas811 asks diggers to call 811 two business days ahead.
What Does Grading Add to the Price?
Grading is the dirt work under the rock. It cuts the route to firm ground and shapes the surface to shed water. The forest service guide calls for a crowned or outsloped road surface to carry runoff away.
National guides put grading at $1 to $2 or $1 to $3 per square foot. On a 1,200 square foot drive, that is about $1,200 to $3,600. One guide adds 20 to 50 percent to labor on hard terrain.
A route through cedar (Ashe juniper) needs land clearing before grading starts. Rock and ledge in the route take machine time as well.
How Does a Milled Rock Base Change the Math?
The guides price base as rock bought by the yard and trucked in. On rocky Hill Country land, that base rock may already sit on the route. Rock milling grinds the loose surface rock into 3/4 minus caliche right where it lies.
Rocks up to 12 to 14 inches go through the tractor-mounted mill. Boulders and ledge get the hydraulic hammer first. The milled rock can then serve as the base. The base loads on the quote shrink, and machine time on the route takes their place.
A quarter mile at 12 feet wide and 6 inches deep holds about 293 cubic yards. That is 20 to 30 loads at 10 to 15 yards each. At $20 to $38 a yard, that rock alone runs about $5,900 to $11,100.
The route still needs its crown, plus culverts where water crosses. Some drives get a finer surface layer on top. Our guide to milled caliche road base covers that step.
What Does a Gravel Driveway Cost to Keep Up?
One national guide puts regrading or resurfacing a worn drive at $0.50 to $2.20 per square foot. On a 1,200 square foot drive, that is about $600 to $2,640. Guides also say to plan on new gravel every 2 to 4 years.
Ruts and standing water mean the crown is going. The forest service guide says to keep culverts open and ditches clear of silt and brush. A washout at a low spot is a drainage fix before it is a gravel fix.
How Do You Get a Real Number for Your Driveway?
Every figure above is a published market price or math on one. None of it is a quote for your place. A real number starts with a look at the route.
Intex Rock and Cedar Solutions is based in Kyle and works across the Hill Country and the I-35 corridor. We give a free estimate and put the quote in writing. Ask about our driveway and culvert work when you call or text (737) 317-7625.