Do you hunt construction sites?

[ilzho]

Hello:

I see a lot of construction in my area and I am wondering if anyone has had any luck searching the areas where the dirt has been turned up?

Also, highway construction, where the dirt has been tilled.

I figure the ground won't be as hard to dig up now

Thoughts?

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Definitely check it out! You never know what you'll find.
If the place is an old site it is WELL worth checking.
I got a barber dime and a large cent when they were replacing sidewalks in my city!
Go for it and GL!

 

[Frankn]

Well, I don't hunt the construction sites per say, But I have hunted a lot where they were using the remover soil for fill. Found a lot of iron toy figures from WWII. Interesting hunt. Frank...

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

Hello: I see a lot of construction in my area and I am wondering if anyone has had any luck searching the areas where the dirt has been turned up? Also, highway construction, where the dirt has been tilled. I figure the ground won't be as hard to dig up now Thoughts?

It has to be an old-town tearout. Not just any "construction site". And your hope is that it's not fill-dirt from some newer time-frame, or that they scraped down too deep, etc.... Thus some are good, others aren't.

As for street-tearouts, don't be confused if you see they "milling" (aka "grinding") the asphalt up. Although it might *look* like dirt, it's not. It's just the machine that grinds up the asphalt, in preparation for a new layer. And even if they grind/mill to BELOW that level, don't be confused about that either: Because rarely do they dig out below the DG (decomposed granite) compaction bed-fill layer.

Therefore sidewalk tearouts in old-town districts are the best. Because since they are engineered only to carry pedestrian traffic (not heavy cars/trucks), they often time had no preparation or compaction layer beneath them, back when they were first laid. They oft-times just laid them right on top of the wooden or dirt paths.