Many towns and counties converting roads back to gravel

[ladycat]

Gravel roads are hugely cheaper than paved ones. So, many counties and towns are reverting back to gravel to ease their budgets.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...ml?mod=iGoogle

We don't even have gravel here. Our roads are DIRT.

[countrysunshine]

I think that is a good thing because it will slow people down. But I also have some concern because we have an entire generation of people that have no idea how to drive on anything other than pavement.

Sign me....

Lived on a gravel road since I was 12 and many times before.

[MaveRick*]

That could never happen here... too many people here with luxury SUVs that would throw a fit if they got dirty!

[arabian knight]

Never happen in my area either. In fact they are still repaving many country roads around me. Too many semi's hauling from Golden Plump factory to many many hauling fro Ashley Furniture which the headquarters is just 25 miles south of me and they traVEL ON SATE ROADS before they can get the the interstate.
Also 8 miles from me is a Huge Truck Terminal the headquarters for Martin Transport, which the the largest trucking company with refrigerated trailers in the country.
So our State roads will never go back to gravel, and even the county roads are being kept up quite well. As many of those Golden Plump chicken trucks travel on many of them as well.

[MrCalicoty]

Our country road has more asphalt patches than original road. I wonder if it would be better to grind it up to gravel. It will make a big difference if, after SHTF, we need to use bicycles to get around. I have a recumbent that doesn't like anything but smooth pavement, a road bike with skinny tires that would develop flats if sharp chipseal was used, and a mountain bike with fat tires that would go anywhere with ease.

It's too hard to control my style of recumbent (they aren't all squirrely) when the front is bumping up and down but the mountain bike with fat tires don't mind the tough terrain. One tip if you do end up riding on real rough roads... A full suspension mountain bike will take any condition of road at any speed and maintain control and comfort.

[Oldcountryboy]

They paved the dirt road in front of my house about 2 summers ago. Ever since it's been like the "Indy 500". There's been about 3 wrecks within a quarter of a mile from me since, when before, all my life that I've lived on this road, there's never been a wreck. Since I only lived off the main highway about a 1/4 of a mile, people use to park there car up at the highway and walk a mile and back on my dirt road. Since they paved it, people don't walk it anymore. To afraid they'll get runned over. There is one bad hill on the road that if someone come flying over it about 50 mph or faster, they wouldn't have time to stop if someone was walking in the way.

Yep, I would like to see my road go back to dirt, but I doubt that will ever happen since the local ambulance says it cuts there travel time down 8 minutes to reach a certain area about 6 miles away.

[NickieL]

I believe it. My road in here has gotten so bad, it was more pot holes then road. So bad all the neighbors have been trying to put gravel over it. Finially they came in a couple months ago and smoothed it out with more gravel. They did not repave it like it should been but it is a heck of a lot better now.

[fordy]

..............So , If the city\county folks aren't going too spend the collected funds too repair our infrastructure then they sould reduce taxes ! I think they're just reducing their cash outlays too ensure that they can continue paying them$elves and the roads and bridges will decline in safety thereby putting the public at risk ! , fordy

[Riverdale]

12 miles of road within 10 miles of me (in a half moon) were converted back to gravel in the past 2 years. They are far better gravel than paved. One of them had potholes bigger than my lil pickup when it was paved.