Posted on 07/17/2010 5:59:50 AM PDT by reaganaut1
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Paved roads, historical emblems of American achievement, are being torn up across rural America and replaced with gravel or other rough surfaces as counties struggle with tight budgets and dwindling state and federal revenue. State money for local roads was cut in many places amid budget shortfalls.
In Michigan, at least 38 of the 83 counties have converted some asphalt roads to gravel in recent years. Last year, South Dakota turned at least 100 miles of asphalt road surfaces to gravel. Counties in Alabama and Pennsylvania have begun downgrading asphalt roads to cheaper chip-and-seal road, also known as "poor man's pavement." Some counties in Ohio are simply letting roads erode to gravel.
The moves have angered some residents because of the choking dust and windshield-cracking stones that gravel roads can kick up, not to mention the jarring "washboard" effect of driving on rutted gravel.
But higher taxes for road maintenance are equally unpopular. In June, Stutsman County residents rejected a measure that would have generated more money for roads by increasing property and sales taxes.
"I'd rather my kids drive on a gravel road than stick them with a big tax bill," said Bob Baumann, as he sipped a bottle of Coors Light at the Sportsman's Bar Café and Gas in Spiritwood.
Rebuilding an asphalt road today is particularly expensive because the price of asphalt cement, a petroleum-based material mixed with rocks to make asphalt, has more than doubled over the past 10 years. Gravel becomes a cheaper option once an asphalt road has been neglected for so long that major rehabilitation is necessary.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Pay more and get less. It’s the American way when the government dominates.
Not really. The money is going to unions and Obama friendly corporations and industries.
Personally I’m OK with it simply because I don’t want stolen money that comes with strings attatched.
You’ve got to love those “self-supporting” roads!
Absolutely nothing wrong with chip and oil roads, IMHO.
Most places didn’t have police until a hundred years ago. You were expected as a man, as an American to protect your own property and your self.
Police are basically....welfare for security... Or political enforces of state edicts against non criminals( that would be us ).
Oh, Heaven forbid! Why, don’t you know that the motor fuel tax is a “user fee”, not a tax?
"Ass" transit.
Evidence or GTFO
Way, way behind the times. Oklahoma let I-40 devolve into a gravel goat path over 20 years ago and has done little to nothing to repair it, especially in OKC and points east. There's a stretch of about 140 miles that has tank traps. Worst roads in the country, IMHO, and I've been to 49 states. Last time I went through there (Feb. 2010) I seriously considered sending ODOT a letter to ask them exactly what was their threshold for repaving.....
I thought of Ancient Rome too, though knew nothing of this book you entioned. It is a tragedy what future Americans will experience. It is all slipping away. I live in Pittsburgh, and there are areas around here that just died in the 1970s-80s, and they are not ever coming back.
I grew up reading books like that. Since the late 70’s or so, children’s literature has consisted mainly of drivel: pre-teen angst, “Babysitter’s Club” and “Captain Underpants” type garbage. The first book I remember reading was a biography written for children about Molly Pitcher. I was in the third grade. Early 60’s.
Everywhere the state builders, the government growers have built buildings, roads, bridges, social programs that we can not maintain.
It’s like a once wealthy person that still has the estate, the yacht at the end of the dock, the garage full of exotic cars but has let the staff go because they no longer have the income needed to maintain everything.
We have trillions of dollars in government employee pensions coming due. Many towns face the choice of pensions, or basic services. My bet is that the pay off pensions first.
The only thing rougher is hitting a pothole--or a lot of them. Some of the county roads here have been replaced with pavement--the asphalt layers were ground up and re-used elsewhere because there is still some material in them and the 'mix' (sand, gravel, etc) is right already.
We have very good gravel roads here for vehicle traffic. It is not uncommon to do 50 or 60 on them, but they are well packed and maintained.
The 'equal priority for bicycles' is crap, though, when major towns are 100 miles apart--especially with our winters.
Ironic. The Chicoms are buying more cars then ever before while we devolve to bicycles.
Still that way here in SE Tennessee. In fact, the local county Sheriff pretty much told me that exact thing not two years ago when I complained about all the illegals and the associated burglaries that were happening.....
Good, then they can deal with the broken windshield claims instead.
There is a difference between a gravel road and an engineered road. My road is engineered. They put down tar or oil (not sure which) and then fill it with gravel. They did it ten years ago and the road has outlasted any asphalt road in the area. Asphalt is a quick, easy fix but now oil is expensive and they can't replace them as easily as before.
Can't wait till we get of off oil altogether. It'll be fun driving on... I don't know what they'll make the roads out of then.
I bet Gore and his cronies are buying up cement mines right now.
Should the contractors, politicians and IDOT figure out a way to skim and split just as much tax money by merely maintaining a lower-maintenance level gravel road as they would by asphalting/re-asphalting it, Iowa can be back in the mud PDQ.
Mr. niteowl77
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