Asphalt vs. Concrete

[blkgiraffe]

Concrete. Have you drove on Asphalt when its gone bad. YUCK.

Brand spanking new asphalt does feel nice though. I remember back in Waco when our street was repaved with asphalt and i use to walk on it barefoot. Felt so smooth.

[Weatherguy]

Originally Posted by Nairobi

...and with Houston having more rain per year than Seattle, you'd think we'd have more asphalt as well. Just imagine how much fewer accidents there would be if the roads had more traction.

Concrete tends to give you better traction. However, there are coarse asphalt surfaces that are pretty safe.

The thing with Seattle is not that they have a large rainfall total (which they don't), but they have so many days of constant light drizzle, which makes driving so unsafe.

[Weatherguy]

Originally Posted by Schumacher713

Vote for a gas tax hike then. It has been needed for a while. Like 5 cents a gallon would do wonders for roads and bridges. I would even vote for a 10cent hike.

I've noticed that many residential streets in Houston are being completely rebuilt, as so many have completely deteriorated. What gets me is that there are still so many major arterials that are in terrible shape. Last time I drove the full length of Montrose Blvd, the part between S. Main and 59 was a mess. Has it been fixed? That was about 5 years ago. Kirby Dr was something to avoid at all costs for years, but I think most (if not all) of it has been rebuilt now.

I still live in Austin, and we have an increasing number of totally deteriorated streets and arterials. Try driving N. Lamar north of the split at Guadalupe. It felt like it was tearing up my car last time I drove it. In Austin, any complaints about roads fall on deaf ears.

[Nairobi]

Originally Posted by Weatherguy

Concrete tends to give you better traction. However, there are coarse asphalt surfaces that are pretty safe.

The thing with Seattle is not that they have a large rainfall total (which they don't), but they have so many days of constant light drizzle, which makes driving so unsafe.

Since when does concrete provide better traction?

Concrete doesn't absorb as much heat or water as asphalt does, so not only is it contributing to wetter roadways, but a hotter environment, as well.

[Schumacher713]

Originally Posted by Weatherguy

I've noticed that many residential streets in Houston are being completely rebuilt, as so many have completely deteriorated. What gets me is that there are still so many major arterials that are in terrible shape. Last time I drove the full length of Montrose Blvd, the part between S. Main and 59 was a mess. Has it been fixed? That was about 5 years ago. Kirby Dr was something to avoid at all costs for years, but I think most (if not all) of it has been rebuilt now.

I still live in Austin, and we have an increasing number of totally deteriorated streets and arterials. Try driving N. Lamar north of the split at Guadalupe. It felt like it was tearing up my car last time I drove it. In Austin, any complaints about roads fall on deaf ears.

The areas that get nice fancy new roads are in rich areas. The poorer areas are the last to be fixed it seems. The only exception I know is Shepherd between University and Holcomb. You need a trohpy truck for that street. Montrose needs new streets almost more than anywhere in Houston. They are some of the oldest with some of the highest traffic. Lower Westheimer is one of the worst streets in Houston. Richmond east of Kirby needs to be replaced. That part of Montrose is fix pretty good.

I wish we could spend 220 million redoing these roads instead of trying to **** it away on saving the Dome.