Slopes and Grades

Studying the property on Google Earth the line drawn from lower left to the upper middle is, very roughly, a rise of 400 feet across a horizontal distance of 1600 feet. This amounts to a 25% slope, too much for normal vehicular traffic. The maximum slope for automobiles is about 15% and certainly is the slope must be traversed 10% would be more comfortable. This line is about 0.41 miles.

Now there are all kinds of problems in road design in getting from the bottom to the top but let it be said that the slope should be gentle and certainly considered in light of where vines are planted, building are built and of course the kinds of views and perspectives available.

Just a quick look might yield a roadway along the line drawn on the map below. This line is about 0.55 miles.

Just found a very nice addition to Google Earth. Shadows can be projected across the terrain for today. This makes for a quick analysis for which parts of the site receive the most sun and which site elements project shadows. A nice planning device but a date variable should be added.