America's infrastructure is crumbling

Hogan · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Oct 25, 2004 Posts: 1298

alokin · Intermediate Crude Joined: Aug 24, 2007 Posts: 789

I guess that not only the US are having this problem.

dorlomin · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Aug 05, 2007 Posts: 1061

I believe there is quite a problem with certain designs of cable stayed suspension bridges. Here in the UK we are having huge problems with one of our bridges, the Forth Road bridge, where corrosion has worked its way into the cabling and is weakening the bridge very significantly. Built in 1960 to last 120 years it is now liable to be shut completely by 2020. So far as I understand the states has a number of similar bridges of the same age with the same problem. However the UK has been under a huge program of 'investment' (and waste) into road repair and rail renewal. Badly badly needed and now really hurting our debt\ GDP ratio but means that much of the most needed work has been done to renew some of the transport infrastucture.

Id note that road frieght volumes are not liable to rise and most likely to drop both here and in the states. They tend to be disproportionate damagers of road surface. However so far as I udnerstand it, road surface is much much cheaper to keep in good condition than to let start failing and then have to really rework it.

Kingcoal

Don't worry, the infrastructure won't be needed anyway, where we are going. The wear and tear on the infrastructure will be reduced dramatically as cars and trucks disappear from the roadways.
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Revi · Fusion Joined: Apr 25, 2005 Posts: 3233 Location: Maine

I wish that the planners would target places and roads that need repair to make it through peak oil. Instead of extra lanes, keep that bridge painted. Instead of a new highway, build a bus station. We need to start to plan for the world that will be, instead of the world that was.
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frankthetank

I see this everyday.

Have you guys noticed in your areas how they are patching side streets/highways/even the interstates? Around here they throw a little of that black, crumbly, tar stuff that sticks to your tires and throws up little pieces all over. They also have been using a tar type of protect and just slapping it over cracks and pot holes.

Roads up here go to $hit fast! The culprit is the weather and the snowplows. They do so much damage to the roads. They rip the concrete up. Its so stupid. Good snow tires will get your through about anything, except really deep snow.

Kingcoal is right. Soon if everything does fall into place like it has been discussed on here, most people will have nowhere to go.

Edit: We have a blacktopped bike trail here in town. Every few years it is underwater from flooding. The trail still looks like brand new and its almost 10 years old.
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"Oil is going up because we use too much oil, and the capacity to replace reserves is dwindling"
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Specop_007 · Expert Joined: Aug 12, 2004 Posts: 6221

It would help if we actually built roads to last instead of building roads to a budget. What about that new roads using shredded tires, arent they projected to last something like 25 years without problems?

Of course, the biggest toll on roads (haha, toll road) is trucking. The heavier the vehicle the harder it is on roads. Its too bad there wasnt a viable solution to moving heavy objects across country. We should invent something that uses steel rails instead of conrete roads. And have a really big engine on the front with lots and lots of carriages designed to travel on these steel rails that are behind the engine. You know, we could callit a "train" since everything is in line and trails behind the engine.......
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lawnchair · Intermediate Crude Joined: Oct 20, 2004 Posts: 763

One infrastructure thing that needs to happen... not another inch of railroad should be abandoned. At least the right of way should be maintained. I can name five former railbeds through this area. One is rail-banked... the other four... pretty much impossible to restore. Man, it would be nice to have them now.

The state of South Dakota faced a problem in the early 1980s. The Milwaukee Road went under, and rather than have hundreds of miles abandoned... the state DOT itself obtained the track and maintained it as common carrier. I don't think any other state had that foresight.
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frankthetank

Most of the old rail lines, along with the bridges have long been turned into bike trails around here. We have a pretty extensive trail system. The bridges are pretty neat too. I guess it could be worse.
_________________
"Oil is going up because we use too much oil, and the capacity to replace reserves is dwindling"
-President Bush 11/07/07

Kingcoal

burtonridr · Intermediate Crude Joined: Aug 03, 2007 Posts: 761

lawnchair · Intermediate Crude Joined: Oct 20, 2004 Posts: 763

emersonbiggins

burtonridr · Intermediate Crude Joined: Aug 03, 2007 Posts: 761

emersonbiggins