Infrastructure

[Hobo Hilton]

The last and newest section of Interstate Highway was completed 32 years ago. It never reached the West Coast.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has claimed the section of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado, completed in 1992, to be the last piece of the Interstate Highway System, as originally planned, to open to traffic.

Interstate 70 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Redmanss]

Lots of beltways and spurs have been added since, with more than a few in the works.

 

[Hobo Hilton]

Lots of beltways and spurs have been added since, with more than a few in the works.

True. But the cost of transporting goods is going up. Beltways and spurs are local / regional.

 

[Makinchips208]

Why does I70 need finished? We got hwy 50. It would be a tragedy to make that an interstate hwy.

 

[Redmanss]

True. But the cost of transporting goods is going up. Beltways and spurs are local / regional.

So where is the interstate gap that is pushing truck mileages to go up or speed / miles per day to go down? We have the most thorough highway system in the world, right along with our freight rail system, with only some boom/bust areas not being serviced by an actual interstate or rail line.

Extending I-70 to the west coast, when the two major ports are serviced by other major freeways, is right up there with the bridge to nowhere.

 

[Hobo Hilton]

So where is the interstate gap that is pushing truck mileages to go up or speed / miles per day to go down? We have the most thorough highway system in the world, right along with our freight rail system, with only some boom/bust areas not being serviced by an actual interstate or rail line.

Extending I-70 to the west coast, when the two major ports are serviced by other major freeways, is right up there with the bridge to nowhere.

The system is antiquated. The "average driver" expects an exit ramp or merge onto another freeway to to be on the right side. There are many places where suddenly an exit / merge is to the left and drivers must cross several lanes at the last minute. That is only one example. Another place is in Baton Rouge where I-5 and I-10 come together. That interchange has been under constant construction for the past 30 years with the DOT trying to make it "workable". Again, just one place. There are many. Not every driver uses a GPS.

Now, along comes the 18 wheelers without a driver, or "driverless". A highway system is going to have to be designed for driverless 18 wheelers. There is no way a driverless 18 wheeler can now go from coast to coast like a rig with team drivers.

 

[Hobo Hilton]

Although the United States has the most roads in the world, it does not have the highest road quality rating.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/road-quality-by-country

 

[Green461]

These highways are shit in a lot of states. Just Videoed some interstate in WI where they cut strips out and patched them, and the patches are now 10 times worse than what was there. Technology evolved so much in the past 100 years and we still make roads that last just a couple years.. its all a scam just like the military industrial complex. Construction companies bank on the tax payer forever.... if infrastructure didnt continually fail they would be out of a job, and the more it fails the more work and money they get.
I am a truck driver and my friend and I were just discussing how the roads destroy our tires.... I would imagine it also leads to a lot of accidents and equipment failures as well. Keeps the car and truck repair businesses going also.
Yet.. there are some highways, Washington I think it was , in the mountains, which experience harsh climates, chains from tires, are older, are very old and have grooves worn in them from chains over the years.... yet still smooth and not all busted up.. So they can make them last, they choose not to.
$800 for one steer tire that will hold up....180k miles. Its insanity. I think they are all in on it. We tried some $600 tires and they last 65k miles... BS..... any way to rape the people.

 

[fpgt72]