Rocky Road
Started driving home from work yesterday and turned onto my street, all of a sudden I hear gravel crunching under my tires and bouncing around the bottom of my car. I slowed down a bit to figure out what was going on. I looked around and the entire street had gravel completely covering it, also I saw a new sign that was put up; "Loose Gravel"; thanks. It seems every year or so a big truck comes motoring down my street spaying this black, sticky, hot tar all over. Then another truck dumps gravel all over it. Then they put up a sign and wait for the road to build itself. I looked this process up and found out that it is called tar and chipping. Every road prior to 1930 was built this way. That is right, I said 1930. Hello, time to update the process people. There are better, more efficient ways to build a road. Alot has happened in the past 70 years! So, to all the county workers who read this blog, here is a website for you: New Technology
posted by ARC at 6:00 AM
1 Comments:
Our street was done the same way two years ago.
It was our first experience with this type of road, and we hated it in the beginning, too.
When they first dumped the gravel, Paul and I waited patiently for them to fill it with concrete or asphalt, thinking the gravel was just to even out the road before pouring.
As you know, the pouring never came.
It was instantly annoying. A car wash lasted no more than two days, as the dust from the gravel covered the bottom half of the car, even when driving at the speed of 25 miles an hour. And the small amount of traffic that did go down our street at this time was twice as loud when driving by.
When are they going to pave the damn road already? Arrgh!
Then, in a few months, we started getting used to it, started to forget about how annoying it was. A few months after that, it was winter. The roads were icy and snowy, and whatever the road was made of didn't matter anyway.
When spring came and the snow cleared, I noticed something -- NO CRACKS. If it were concrete or asphalt, the freezing ground would have caused cracks and uneven, small earthquake-like pieces of asphalt to rise and fall in the areas most affected.
With gravel, not being a pure solid sheet, this doesn't happen as drastically.
I guess perhaps after years of trial and error of having to constantly repave the asphalt roads, they went back to the old way of doing things, which may offer less repair work overall. Plus, I would assume this version is also a bit cheaper for the city, which may affect what we pay in taxes...
Regardless, I think with a little patience, it might prove to be the better option in the long run.
From the 30s, you say, but 'if it ain't broke', I guess?
And going back to the pebble roads from the turn of the century, as nostalic and retro as it would be, would just be too darn expensive.
10:42 AM, September 12, 2005
Post a Comment
<< Home