Tight Times Put Gravel on the Road
By
The
struggle with the EPA referred to in the article but not explained is that the
EPA has strict regulations against rock dust as a pollutant. Which is quite normally
formed behind vehicles that drive said dirt and gravel roads. The EPA also has strict regulations regarding
water run off along roads, so that ditches are unacceptable and they want
sewers along all roads. So that this step back to save money is putting states
and locals between the crosshairs of the EPA for non-compliance, which means
that eventually there will be large fines and
expansive lawsuits.
The situation we find ourselves now in is the summation of Federal
and State regulations that have artificially driven up the costs of almost
everything that one can name. For
example “Black Top” that is laid down on roads that is now declared
unaffordable. Black Top is essentially pebbles (Rock) mixed with sand, oil, and
tar. Heated and mixed so that the
elements are well mixed and then loaded on dump trucks and you know the rest.
Black Top should be almost as cheap as dirt, however with federal
and state regulations fees and taxes with the manufacture, the cost of labor wages,
transportation vehicles, black top laying and finishing equipment, as well as
environmental studies and lawsuits we can see how the price of something that should
be 250.00 dollars a ton, becomes $30,000 - $40,000 a mile which is outrageous
when one considers the tens of thousands of miles of roads in States and locals
that need to be redone or patched every few years.
When I ws young they were still making roads out of concrete, many of these roads are still in service
40-60 years later. The only problem was road salt
Which eats away at concrete. When they began laying black top they used to
use a real course gravel black top as the road base probably 6 inches thick and
then a smother and finer black tops maybe another 4 inches thick on top of that
to give the road surface some substance.
That seemed to last for a decade or so before the top needed to be
replaced. The more modern stuff is
porous that is water now penetrates the black top, and they only lay the top
layer on dirt, so that this now is prone
to cracks potholes and breakage and so must be constantly serviced.
For decades now the Federal Government shells out billions in
highway and road funds as the states and locals have not been able to keep up
with the repair and maintenance of this newer EPA approved black top. And only now that State Governments and the
Federal Government are broke has this cheap (As in poorly made) road surfacing
and patching material become untenable to care for, So here we are back now to dirt and gravel
roads in what was once the wealthies country in the world.
Gravel
roads, once a symbol of quaint times, are emerging as a sign of financial
struggle in a growing number of rural towns.
High
costs and tight budgets have prompted communities in
New
technology allows asphalt to be recycled into a durable gravel-like surface
that is cheaper to maintain and adequately prevents potholes and mud, said
David Creamer, a field operations specialist at the Center for Dirt and Gravel
Road Studies at Pennsylvania State University.
FEELING
THE PINCH: States struggle
with EPA rules
Thirty-eight
counties in
In
A
2006 study by the University of Minnesota's
Center for Transportation Studies found gravel is cost-effective when daily
traffic averages 200 vehicles or less.
Even
so, some have concerns.
"None
of these decisions should be made overnight," said Chris Plaushin,
director of federal relations at AAA. "I think that gravel brings some
conditions that they may not be used to. The drivers are going to have to exert
a little more caution."
Elsewhere:
•
• Cranberry Isles,
Resident
Gaile Colby, who lives on one of the roads being considered, called it a
terrible idea. "Have you ever lived on a gravel road? In the summer it's
like clouds of (dirt) coming through your house," Colby said.
•