Why America’s roads are in tatters

[rcjordan]

Some experts have concluded that it's better to "depave" and let failing asphalt roads return to gravel. With budgets tight, their reasoning goes, this would at least provide motorists with a better driving experience than would a broken-down paved road. Also, a gravel road is cheaper to maintain than a paved road. Studies by more than a dozen different agencies around the nation show the range for gravel maintenance costs: from $2,000 to more than $8,000 per mile annually. And for pavement: from $13,000 to $37,000.

The estimated cost for operating a vehicle on a gravel road is 14.33 cents per mile higher than on a paved road. . . . Although this cost is significant, it is borne by vehicle owners and not the agency.

https://harpers.org/archive/2017/11/bumpy-ride/

[Drastic]

"If the roads are failing, it means government is failing."

[Mackin USA]

The GOV IS FAILING and the PEEPS ARE PISSED

[ergophobe]

Each American driver pays about $450 per year toward roads, according to the Journal of Infrastructure Systems. Europeans fork over on average 2 to 3.5 times as much

This coming Thursday, we (the "Yosemite West Maintenance District Advisory Committee") meet to discuss the results of a rate study that includes roads. Of course, we've been so long without an increase, the rate will go up a lot and there will be resistance. But currently, the roads fee is $96 per year with about 200 rate payers, with which the road crews are supposed to plow the roads, fill potholes, maintain the culverts and set aside money to eventually resurface the roads.

Resurfacing the road will cost about a million dollars. So if we don't have any plowing and don't have any potholes and put all our money into a capital fund, we'll have enough money for the job in 52 years.

Of course all the residents understand it takes more money than that. They just want that money to come from somewhere else.

[Brad]

I couldn't find the link but the head of the Iowa highway department said a couple years ago that the state can't maintain all the highways they have so quit building new ones.

[Brad]

I stumbled across the link.  Iowa can't maintain all its roads. Most states can't and know it but keep silent due to political reasons.

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2015/12/9/best-of-2015-iowa-dot-chief-says-system-will-shrink?rq=Iowa%20dot

[rcjordan]

Good article. I wondered what happened to this DOT guy as his comments seemed to be political suicide.

Former Iowa DOT chief Paul Trombino picked by Trump for federal highway post

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2017/09/09/former-iowa-dot-chief-paul-trombino-picked-trump-federal-highway-post/649164001/

[Brad]

I think he will be good in that post. Thanks for the followup.

We are just starting to see decommissioning of Indiana state highways here. If a municipality wants to take over responsibility for a stretch of state highway through their town the state will let them.  40 years ago the state would have laughed at them. I expect this to spread to a general decommissioning of many streets that have a state highway destination especially in urban areas.

County governments are already facing the reality of returning some little used rural roads to gravel or even dirt.