Here’s the real reason America doesn’t have better roads. #shorts #trending #karlmarx #america

[debravictoria]

Or, potholes to ruin vehicles sooner than would be. Or to keep ppl from easy travel, so they will stay home in their 15 minute city.

[cornpop]

The bad roads in the US don't just have to do with depth. Although, the elements required to make robust roads do require more depth than we typically use.

1) Drainage: Simply having an absence of surface water doesn't in itself indicate proper drainage. The subsurface water must also be managed and kept from eroding the sub-base.

2) The sub-base must be structurally sound and stable enough to firmly support the paving surface during vehicle loads and the impacts of weather.

Obviously, you can not build a road on mud, but it happens fairly often. When the below soil is fairly soft (not mud), very large stones would be placed against the soil. Then, successively larger stones (to potato sized rock). Then, a pulverized rock powder and rock fines would be added. These fines and powders should be vibrated in so they make it down to the soil and fill in the voids between the rock. By filling the space between the rocks, the below soil has no space to rise up and allow the large bottom layer of rocks to sink. No mud up = no rocks down.

The many specific layers of rock and gravel before the concrete and / or blacktop are high science. A long-lasting road is no accident!

One of the newest methods for filling in space, which is mainly used for on / off ramps, is to use expanded polystyrene blocks. It doesn't work everywhere, but where it makes sense, it really works well.

There is simply no room for the bottom layer of earth to displace itself through the intermediate layers. It also eliminates multiple layers that could be subject to erosion. Again, water must be managed. This is probably why this method is used more for high ground rather than lower ground.

3) You simply can not use blacktop on areas where semi-truck brake to a stop. These areas require thick, high-strength concrete. Blacktop used in these areas is likely to fail within 1 to 2 years.

Obviously, there's a lot more to the subject, but my point is, thickness is required, but what makes up the thickness is as, if not more important.

[yt]

One of the problems with roads in this country is that in many cases they were dirt roads to start with. Then as things improve they became gravel roads and then they would blacktop over top of that. There was never any really good base underneath and there was no consideration for good drainage. I've actually driven on dirt roads and gravel roads in wilderness areas that were better roads than the black ones where I live. The difference of course is that the road are maintained and graded and sloped in such a way to get rid of the water. Obviously in the north east of the US water can get down into the asphalt and the base underneath and freezes it it starts to break the road apart.

[rwalkenhorst]

Interesting that this is called Stopping Socialism TV, but he doesn't mention that these are socialist roads. The government owns this means of production, and it does not have to please customers to stay in business. Of course they're going to be crappy.

[gerhard]

This might be a little bit of a simplistic stretch in order to try and score a cheap political point methinks.😊

[jimeagle]

Wrong!
Not all states have bad roads. The reasons some states have bad roads is not as simple as this guy thinks. Unions and creating more jobs is definitely not the reason. Having a deeper base is also not the reason. This guy is obviously ignorant, and yes he really doesn't know. Comparing this country to Germany is ridiculous.
The primary reason freeways are so bad is the high number of heavy trucks that use them.
Poor design, poor material, poor construction are some of the primary reasons some roads are bad.
Having worked for a civil engineering company that designed roads and monitored the construction of roads is not because someone is making bad roads on purpose.
This guy is obviously anti union!
The current political/MSM reason for the number one reason for bad roads would be too few women and illegal immigrant road builders!