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Rural Michigan counties turn failing roads to gravel
Chicago Tribune ^ | June 12, 2009 | Tim Martin

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 ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: counties; economy; failing; granholm; gravel; michigan; roads; rural
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To: magellan

Carry a slingshot in MI, ammo is on the county (road, that is).


21 posted on 06/13/2009 12:36:31 PM PDT by givemELL (Does Taiwan Meet the Criteria to Qualify as an "Overseas Territory of the United States"? by Richar)
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To: OnTheDress

One of our biggest problems is money that’s supposed to go toward roads is siphoned off to pay for other things. For instance, Carl Levin wants transportation funding used to save the old Tiger stadium.


22 posted on 06/13/2009 12:36:35 PM PDT by cripplecreek (The poor bastards have us surrounded.)
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To: dsrtsage
Is there even one aspect of what is going on today in this country that WAS NOT covered in Atlas Shrugged?

Few bits here and there, but they were thoroughly covered in an earlier book... 1984.

23 posted on 06/13/2009 12:36:35 PM PDT by mwilli20 (BO. Making communists proud all over the world.)
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To: ABQHispConservative
Ever check out Michigan's soil? Outside of the areas with muck (a strange mixture of topsoil and stuff) it's mostly sand, or exposed limestone that's been ground flat by glaciation.

All you use gravel for is to "mark the trail", so to speak, and to hold the sand in place so it doesn't just wash away to the side.

Northern Indiana has more muck, and gravel stabilizes muck in dry weather to reduce dust. It does nothing in wet weather but if it's piled high enough it'll keep you out of the swamps.

Gravel roads don't work everywhere.

BTW, throughout the Midwest it is commonly the case that "gravel roads" are really pea gravel and tar concoctions that most folks can't tell from more formal paving techniques with heavier asphalt.

The city of Indianapolis has several thousand miles of peagravel and tar roads that are kept in shape by filling larger potholes with asphalt compounds.

24 posted on 06/13/2009 12:38:01 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: dsrtsage
"Is there even one aspect of what is going on today in this country that WAS NOT covered in Atlas Shrugged?"

The book had leaders, the John Galts, Hank Reardens, etc.

We have John McCain, Lindsay Graham and other lame nitiwits.

25 posted on 06/13/2009 12:39:10 PM PDT by VicVega (Join Jihad, get captured by the US and resettled in the best places in the world. I love the USA)
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To: magellan
Liberalism turning America into a 3rd world nation. Yup we got change.
26 posted on 06/13/2009 12:39:33 PM PDT by FreedomGuru (Obama lied. The Economy died.)
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To: GOPsterinMA

Contra point of view,

I live in a rural area of Oklahoma where the County Commissioners want to get re-elected. They take a huge hunk of one-time grant money, pave country gravel roads so developers can make big money developing “estates” in the country without being in the city. (Rural development grants, rural water district grants, 911 terrorism grants for law enforcement funneled to Sherrif’s offices all makes this attractive and unrealisticaly lowers costs to the developers and county dwellers.)

There is NO WAY the commissioners can maintain the roads they pave. But they don’t care. Their real estate buddies get them re-elected and they all live happily. The developers could care less about how pot-holed the roads becomes after they sold all their new houses. (Except the road to their personal residence!)

I would far rather drive on a well maintained gravel road and put up with dust and rocks, than drive down one of these pot-holed paved monsters in the rain. It’s bad enough when you can SEE the potholes.

My view of government is that no matter what they build or start, needs to be sustainable with the expected revenue stream. These roads have no chance from the outset.

Just my opinion.

Oldplayer


27 posted on 06/13/2009 12:39:53 PM PDT by oldplayer
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To: RatsDawg

How are Nobama’s GM electric cars going to perform on dirt roads?


28 posted on 06/13/2009 12:42:54 PM PDT by joejm65
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To: magellan
Good for windshield repair business.


29 posted on 06/13/2009 12:43:27 PM PDT by Koracan
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To: magellan

I can’t wait for Detroit to get gravel roads.


30 posted on 06/13/2009 12:44:27 PM PDT by razorback-bert (We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers.)
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To: oldplayer

That’s a really well thought out perspective. You make some very good points! I just can’t look at ANY idea the current Marxist put out there without wondering what the angle, the catch is.


31 posted on 06/13/2009 12:45:56 PM PDT by GOPsterinMA (Where can I take 'Austrian' lessons?)
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To: magellan
The road to our summer home in the Western U.P. of Michigan has been gravel for years. The only thing the county ever does to the road is re-grade it every 2 or three years. Re-grading takes a fraction of the time, labor and materials and hell, the road has held up better since it's been gravel instead of asphalt.

The bad thing is the damage gravel does to the underside and fenderwells of your vehicle .....

32 posted on 06/13/2009 12:46:24 PM PDT by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: VicVega

Bad analogy.

The John Galts, Hank Reardens, etc.

Were not politicians. They earned honest livings.


33 posted on 06/13/2009 12:46:53 PM PDT by null and void (We are now in day 145 of our national holiday from reality.)
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To: magellan
I guess these new and improved gravel roads will lead to the new and improved bulldozed cities.

That should make the third worlders, that are streaming across our borders, feel right at home

34 posted on 06/13/2009 12:48:17 PM PDT by varon (Allegiance to the constitution, always. Allegiance to a political party, never.)
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To: null and void

True, it’s just that we are lacking leadership in this country. Lets get along and take the same road down to socialism. The republican party just wants to go down the path a little bit slower.


35 posted on 06/13/2009 12:49:44 PM PDT by VicVega (Join Jihad, get captured by the US and resettled in the best places in the world. I love the USA)
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To: magellan

Michigan should talk to San Fransisco. They know all about dirt roads.


36 posted on 06/13/2009 12:49:50 PM PDT by DogBarkTree (Support The American Tea Party)
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To: In veno, veritas
Another good reason for roads to be privatized, not government control.

No, the problem is that the feds are using highway funds for general purposes. Get rid of the federal gas tax and force states to pay for their own roads. Roads and infrastructure are vital public services and should not be privatized.

37 posted on 06/13/2009 12:50:11 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist ("President Obama, your agenda is not new, it's not change, and it's not hope" - Rush Limbaugh 02/28)
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To: mamelukesabre

Oh, I welcome cutting cost, on things that we don’t need. However, I want the government to spend more to make me safe on the road ways.

They need to cut funding on sports stadiums and other such needless junk. Heck, Biden was in town here yesterday talking about how Obama is going to fix the 94 highway by Kalamazoo and Portage, however we just got it fixed last summer, and its very nice and safe already! Take some of that money and spend it on roads that need it.


38 posted on 06/13/2009 12:50:41 PM PDT by RatsDawg
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To: In veno, veritas
Another good reason for roads to be privatized, not government control.

Actually it's a good reason to get the government under control.
39 posted on 06/13/2009 12:52:44 PM PDT by SpaceBar
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To: SpaceBar
Actually it's a good reason to get the government under control.

Exactly my point. As it is now our taxes are supposed to be used to pay contracytors to build the roads and state and counties to maintain them. All privatizing means is that we would pay someone else to hire the contractors and only a fool believes govt would drop the taxes accordingly.

We pay good money to the govt for roads and we should get them. The only reason we don't is because they use the money for their own pet projects.
40 posted on 06/13/2009 12:59:47 PM PDT by cripplecreek (The poor bastards have us surrounded.)
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