[Lorianne]

links to the report and study at the site

[MeganC]

This is because we spend fuel taxes on BS like high speed rail and welfare.

[Darksheare]

NY has a novel way of doing this process: if you don’t fix potholes, the road eventually self converts back to unpaved without any cost outlay for the conversion itself.

[Celerity]

Personally, I love it.

I won’t be riding my bike on it, but I like it. And it’s obvious that anyone who supports this has never been on a motorcycle.

And if you haven’t been on one, or are not on one right now you’re simply not that much of an American :)

[DoughtyOne]

That gravel is then tossed up on the sides of your car and oncoming traffic, which in a short period of time reduces that $30-40 thousand machine you were proud of, to a scratched up beat up old war horse.

Remaining resale value? $1,250.00 at age 24 months.

What a swell ides.

Why not just take a sledge hammer to it?

Do state officials ever come up with a sound idea?

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

There might be an alternative, which provides a better surface at less cost than bare gravel. When I lived in Canada’s far north, the Highways department discovered that a “bituminous surface treatment” (BST) surface was cheaper than gravel, in the long run. (BST is something like tar — it looks like asphalt paving; but it’s not as thick and solid). That’s because a gravel road needs a lot more routine maintenance — including replacement of material lost through dust clouds — than a “paved” surface. Only the main highways, near major settlements, are paved (with asphalt); but, most of the secondary roads have a BST surface.

The BST surface is much safer to drive on, and almost eliminates windshield damage from flying gravel. (Before BST, nearly every windshield in the North was chipped or cracked.)

[SpaceBar]

Paved roads distinguish modern civilization from third world hellholes. Such places have high rates of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from breathing clouds of filth kicked up by roadways 24/7. In rural parts of asia and africa you develop a cough after a while even if you don’t smoke.

[BroJoeK]

I drive a lot of country roads in many states.
Some are very well kept, others pretty miserable.

So here's what you need to understand about unpaved, dirt roads: a couple of times a year you send out a road grader to smooth them out, occasionally add gravel to softer spots.
The road-grader travels at maybe 15 mph, and in a matter of days covers every dirt road in the county.
If you do that faithfully, you've got fairly nice roads at a pretty cheap price.
Yes, they are dusty, but not necessarily bumpy.

If you fail to keep up with grading, those dirt roads will quickly become undrivable.

Paved country roads cost considerably more to maintain, but also deteriorate more slowly.
But they also can become undrivable after a few winters of neglect.

Bottom line: whatever type road you have must, must be maintained and failure to do so should be a matter of corporal punishment for the officials responsible.

This is what I recommend:

[b4me]

grew up in area where roads were oiled and stoned/gravel periodically.

Also lived in area where they still have dirt/gravel roads but the washout with rains or snow and thaw makes troughs and mud, have to regrade often in some seasons.

now live in area where lots of gravel. lots of chipped windows and car hoods.

[RegulatorCountry]

I grew up in a county that had more miles of unpaved roads than any other in the state. The county DOT had a dredging operation on the Dan River. All the unpaved roads were maintained using river sand and river gravel. They were graded regularly to keep the washboarding down. The same crew than maintained the unpaved roads maintained the paved roads, as well as salting and plowing the roads in winter, it was a year-round operation.

They generally were pretty decent roads, other than in very heavy rain or during dry spells with the dust. But, back in the 90’s the county did a study and determined that paving these unpaved secondary roads with tar and gravel would be a lower cost proposition in comparison to the system they had, which had been in place since the Depression. So they began paving them all, and did.

I sort of miss the old sandy river rock backroads, myself. I don’t miss the dust and the dirty car, or the possibility of the road washing out in a heavy rain.

[Kay Ludlow]

In PA, the EPA told the State that there was too much particulate matter from the dirt roads, so they has to either be paved or closed. Since closing them fits nicely with the eco-waco Roadless Initiative, that's what's been done. Thousands of miles through state forests have been closed, as well as encouraging municipalities to close roads by not allowing any state monies to go for fixing the low volume rural roads.

[Twotone]

We moved to Idaho last July & we’ve found a lot of unpaved roads. They go by ranches in the ‘outback’ areas & eventually reconnect with a main road. They aren’t private, however. Seems a sensible way to keep costs down.

[Bratch]

In other news, California is conducting a study on converting the horseless carriage back to the horse.

[chrisser]

My experience here in WV is that, if the county spent half the time and money used for grading/graveling on keeping the drainage ditches and culverts clear, they’d end up time and money ahead. Last summer, they came through and did our road. A week later we had a run of thunderstorms. Washed the gravel right off and it’s been mud ever since. Most of the ditches are just suggestions, except for the new ones the running water made.

[Billyv]

Reads like Atlas Shrugged. Who is John Galt?

[NorthMountain]

Soiltac. Applied and maintained properly, it makes a fairly decent, inexpensive surface.

[Real Cynic No More]

The windshield replacement businesses love this.

[lightman]

It can do wonders for “traffic calming” /s

[RinaseaofDs]

I thought this was a thread about Detroit and Chicago.

[Cymbaline]

Welcome to Starnesville.