Why are American roads so crappy?

Discussion in 'Automotive' started by DoctorD, Oct 25, 2006.

  1. scarshins

    scarshins Member

    Jun 13, 2000
    fcva
    There's an enormous amount of cars in the US. That's why we have all those roads.

    Two things to consider: a lot of our shipping is done by truck, and heavy trucks tear up roads very fast.

    Our weather, in most places, is far more variable: 90F in summer and 20F in winter or more. There are ideal types of roads for either condition, but not for both. Cold winters and freezing underneath the roads tears them up, especially asphalt roads...I think.

    Actually I don't really care about roads at all.
     
  2. 96Squig

    96Squig Member

    Feb 4, 2004
    Hanover
    Club:
    Hannover 96
    Nat'l Team:
    Netherlands
    2 thoughts:
    - Do you think Western Europe has considerably less traffic, especially when it comes to goods and trucks?
    - Yeah, don't care about the roads and buy a humvee to get everywhere, way to go.
     
  3. quentinc

    quentinc New Member

    Jan 3, 2005
    Annapolis, MD
    Texas probably has some of the best roads in the US.
     
  4. scarshins

    scarshins Member

    Jun 13, 2000
    fcva
    Yup, less traffic and most of the trucks are smaller.

    I ride a bike so get outta my way. :D
     
  5. guignol

    guignol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Apr 28, 2005
    mermoz-les-boss
    Club:
    Olympique Lyonnais
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    i'll take the liberty of barging in because i have the answer!

    i used to teach english at the research institute of elf petroleum and two of my students were asphalt specialists. at the time they had a group of american roadway engineers on a long term visit and one day at lunch this was the very topic of conversation.

    there are three major reasons in cascade for the difference in road quality (not only durability) on either side of the atlantic.

    1) available funds for budget are not the same. taxes of course, but mostly toll revenues.

    2) ergo, bids in the US are judged only on price, and based on a fixed specification of materials that sometimes has not been updated for decades. in europe specifications are functional (cahier de charge fonctionnel): wear, traction wet and dry, sprayup, decibels... so if a company proposes a road that lasts longer and works better, he can offer a higher bid and still win the contract.

    3) that means research in improving roads is pointless in the states but indispensable in europe.

    et voilà!

    btw, concrete highways are very durable to abrasion but subject to their own problems, and are very poor performers in comfort and safety criteria.
     
  6. guignol

    guignol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Apr 28, 2005
    mermoz-les-boss
    Club:
    Olympique Lyonnais
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    way to go scarshy, i'm going to start up a thread (some day :D) for people like us who know what automotive really means: moving yourself, not being lugged around by dead dinosaurs.

    but don't think that europe has "considerably less traffic" than the states, the A6/A7 in france, the autobahns in the Ruhrgebiet, the periphériques, Ringstraßen and ring roads around all big european cities give any stretch of road in the states a run for their tonnage!

    making generalizations about weather on either side of the ocean is misleading; minnesota is rougher than the riviera, finland is worse than california, but all things considered it's about equal.
     
  7. DoctorD

    DoctorD Member+

    Sep 29, 2002
    MidAtlantic
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thanks guignol. That supports my suspicions in my original post.
     
  8. m1150

    m1150 New Member

    Mar 3, 2007
    The roads in Ontario, Canada are amazing. Even county roads are smooth as can be.

    I've heard the roads in Quebec are terrible, though.
     
  9. guignol

    guignol Moderator
    Staff Member

    Apr 28, 2005
    mermoz-les-boss
    Club:
    Olympique Lyonnais
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    it likely depends on what parts of ontario or quebec you're talking about; i drove all through the middle part of the rive sud one fall and winter (counties of l'islet, kamouraska, bellechasse and montmagny) and found the roads ok... it's true that once you get up in the hills they tend to be gravel, but good gravel, and that's a technical choice to deal with freezing; even the alaskan highway is gravel once you get past prince george; asphalt turns into launching ramps in those conditions. the part from the border to tok junction is paved and i would NOT drive it at night!
     

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