Let's talk about how the roads around here are PISS POOR, and an embarassment.

[sirrealone]

I’ll stop at your first sentence. To me the big picture is we’re being fleeced by the road building industry, but I’m sure it goes way deeper then that.

So many base their theories on the assumption that Michigan builds roads to lesser standards than surrounding states. That is not the case. MDOT and agencies like the RCOC have shown time and again that they their specifications are in line with roads built in surrounding states. So why do our roads fall apart before theirs? The answer is not the quality of construction, it's about preventative maintenance. That concept is actually something most residents aren't familiar with, because it doesn't get done here.

When does a road in Michigan get repaired? Easy answer, right? When it starts falling apart. That's the way we do it here and the way we've always done it, but it's the wrong way. Because by that time, it's basically too late. The road is already shot. We put a layer of asphalt on a crumbling road and it certainly comes out nice and smooth, but as we all know, that starts falling apart within a couple of years. Why? Because the overlay was applied to a road surface that was already falling apart, and putting a layer of asphalt over it does nothing to stop that from continuing.

What's the right answer then? Putting that overlay on before the road actually starts to fall apart. People here would be so confused if that happened. They'd ask, why are they putting an asphalt overlay on a road that still appears to be in perfectly good shape? Some would probably go so far as to call it wasteful. But, it's not wasteful. It's the way it should be done.

If we start putting asphalt overlays on a road prior to it starting to fall apart, both the underlying road and the overlay will last longer. That in turn will support more overlays, thereby extending the useful life of the road. In the end, a road that is handled this way can last 40-50 years, where the way we handle it sees roads rendered useless after 20-25 years [[or less).

So why aren't we doing this? Because the roads haven't been properly funded. MDOT and local agencies spend to fix the crumbling roads, and by the time that money is gone, there's nothing left for preventative maintenance. Ohio will spend $2.4b on road construction this year. A huge chunk of that will go toward preventative maintenance.

So many here in Michigan think that there's some magic formula where we should be able to spend less but have our roads last longer. It doesn't work that way. If we want roads like Ohio, we have to spend like Ohio does. If we spend like Ohio does, eventually our roads will be in good shape. There's no shortcut, folks.