Posted on 06/13/2009 12:18:43 PM PDT by magellan
As goes Michigan's crumbling economy, so go some once-paved rural roads now being turned back into gravel.
About a quarter of the state's county road agencies largely left out of the federal stimulus package, which focuses on highways and other major thoroughfares, say they can't afford some costly repaving projects and have crushed up deteriorating roads.
Montcalm County alone estimates it saved nearly $900,000 by converting almost 10 miles of pothole-plagued pavement into gravel this spring.
Reverting to gravel on low-traffic roads has been done to some degree for years and long-term savings and maintenance costs vary widely. But it can be an attractive option for municipalities seeking to save money up front and it's recently been done in a few other states, including Indiana and Vermont.
More than 20 of the 83 counties in Michigan, home to the nation's highest unemployment rate for much of the past four years, have turned rural roads back to gravel with no immediate plans to repave, according to the County Road Association of Michigan. About 50 miles have been reverted in the last three years.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
They just turned the state “kinda” highway next to my property from paved to gravel - thank you Oklahoma.
Gravel Roads may be cheaper, but they are sometimes less safe.
Easier to get cracks in your windshields as well, and even a small crack can become a bigger problem once a Michigan winter rolls around.
Not to mention, they make your car all dusty/dirty.
We’re soon gonna be sorry all those buggy whip manufacturers went out of business.
Even in third world countries they are paving roads, as it is a sign of progress. The rats are willing to mismanage everything to a point that the US becomes a banana republic. Disgusting.
Does anyone else see this as a sign that the standard of living here in this country is trying to be lowered?
I read Atlas Shrugged. This is going backwards. Just like in the book.
If they’d get all the wealth-redistribution schemes and the high govt employee benefits out of their tax code and gubernut spending programs (in other words if they did first and most what the govt should do), there’s no doubt they could pave their rural roads, again.
Is there even one aspect of what is going on today in this country that WAS NOT covered in Atlas Shrugged?
True. Of course we are using our dollars to gravel our roads while the third world countries use our billions to pave theirs.
We are becoming a giant sink hole thanks to our worthless leaders.
Hyper-inflation?
Tough! all cost cutting measures are welcome. Otherwise you can start paying european style taxes.
Third world countries don’t use union labor or
have gov-inspectors to buy off. They just get
things done and move on to the next 100 miles to
be paved. (Like we use to do.)
Used to be three beer joints in Bloomington with dirt floors.
Guess those roads just aren’t shovel ready.
Yep.
Anything that makes it a little tougher for the city slickers to get to the good fishin’ holes is AOK with me.
Ditto that!
Tough times call for tough measures!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.