What causes the even pattern of ripples in a “washboard” gravel road?

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I finally stopped to look more closely. These ripples are about 10 inches wide ands look to be almost exactly uniform through long stretches of road. Where does this precision come from?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Possibly a corduroy road? If it’s an old gravel road, it may have been originally been formed of logs laid down perpendicular to the direction of travel, and covered with sufficient dirt and gravel to make a road bed. The material is named for this construction style, with the word, possibly, deriving from French cour du roi, which translates to course of the king, or, the king’s road.

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