Our roads...

challengemaster

Not quote another rant about how shíte they are, but more a question of why they're still made of taramc...

I've never heard of an american complaining about their roads being in pieces all the time - got me thinking. With concrete being cheaper, safer and lasting longer (and not leaving us with the day-to-day crap we have now) - why is it all the roads are still tarmac?

Here's an article from last year hilighting the benefits - http://www.todaysconcretetechnology.com/the-benefits-of-concrete-roads.html

Just another oversight on behalf of the government?

andyseadog

i didn't read the link on concrete technology but there is a stretch of read near my house only a few hundred meters long made from concrete and you really do know your driving on it.

it feels much 'harder' than tarmac and the car is bouncing all over the road and it seems to generate epic proportions road noise.

if this is still going to be the same, i'd still rather stick with tarmac

corktina

add the fact that concrete doesnt l;ke Salt and you'd have nroken up roads every winter (see my drive if you dont beleive me!

Berty

I watched an episode on Discovery when they were laying a new stretch of Concrete on Boston/Chicago. Apparently the entire above ground network is Concrete. It didn't take them too long either.

Put it this way. In Limerick there was an "American Estate" built and all the houses were flat roofed and the roads were concrete. The roads are still concrete and have not changed for decades and they are perfect.

In Shannon town the roads were ALL concrete. Some have changed recently with new roads and upgraded sections etc but most are still concrete and never needed replacing.

We use a baby sister of the concrete laying equipment here. It's called a "Kerber" and it lays...................well kerbing but more importantly the concrete median barrier. The same company makes another version which looks like a Blacktop laying machine but has a hopper in the front for a concrete pump to dispense concrete into.

The only obstacle I could see if the curing process for this country. You must test the concrete after 1 day, 5 days, 7 days, 14 days and 30 days. If after 30 days the kn load bearing pressure is not sufficient the entire section must be removed. Our quarries are useless with getting the slump level correct on their mixes and are always adding a GGBS injection on site which is not as efficient as other countries.

Heck we have to get the english over to lay the blacktop on our motorways because we are crap at it. Roadstone and the like are only given the easy jobs.

Akrasia

There are a few concrete stretches of road near where I live and they are absolutely lethal whenever there's frost or ice. The water just sits on the surface

Wolverine_1999

Concrete roads are a scurge and the hardest ride you'll come across.

They are falling to pieces around here also, because they probably weren't built properly in the first place. There are huge gaps forming between the "slabs" and what is being to repair them? Tarmac

Big Nasty

Slightly off topic but has anyone noticed the state of those red sandstone speed ramps / crossings of late? Many of them have deteriorated to sh1te and are like driving over craters!:mad:

Gregor Samsa

A lot of Italian Autostrada have concrete surfaces. Many of them that I drove on are in a terrible state; smashed up, badly patched, potholed and cratered. I've only driven there in the summer, but I imagine that in the wet or ice, they'd be treacherous.

Also, while I don't know anything about the technical facts either way, the I don't think an article on a website called "Today's Concrete Technology" could be regarded as an unbiased source of information on the matter.

I mean, sock horror, the Asphalt Pavement Association of California thinks otherwise!!!

Eric Cartman

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Slightly off topic but has anyone noticed the state of those red sandstone speed ramps / crossings of late? Many of them have deteriorated to sh1te and are like driving over craters!:mad:

yep, fairly sure its by people driving 4x4s hitting them above the speed limit

Big Nasty

Eric Cartman wrote: »

yep, fairly sure its by people driving 4x4s hitting them above the speed limit

Especially those D-Max's!:p

opinion guy

Any concrete roads I've driven on in the US have been in ****e. Give me tarmac anyday

Esel

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Slightly off topic but has anyone noticed the state of those red sandstone speed ramps / crossings of late? Many of them have deteriorated to sh1te and are like driving over craters!:mad:

Caused by the extremely low temperatures last year . . . .

Del2005

opinion guy wrote: »

Any concrete roads I've driven on in the US have been in ****e. Give me tarmac anyday

+1, they made their freeways on the cheap and in hurry. They are all falling apart and it's costing them loads to put right.

savagecabbages

AFIK the Autobahn are all concrete.

I dunno if concrete roads would be cheaper, tarmac can be laid as one continuous stretch where concrete will always be done in sections. Where one section meets another is where there are often problems.
Also tarmac can flex, so if the ground/foundations subside, the road will dip instead of a concrete one cracking.

pcbscott

perhaps Ireland could lead the way in innovation?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiZ5bSntwhM

robtri

tarmac all the way..... a much easier surface to drive on

concrete is ****e for driving on.... it works ok in the us on the long stretches cause the noise it makes helps keeps drivers awake.. the thump thump thump noise as you pass over the dividers lines between slabs...

Gary ITR

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Slightly off topic but has anyone noticed the state of those red sandstone speed ramps / crossings of late? Many of them have deteriorated to sh1te and are like driving over craters!:mad:

I drove into Rush, North Co.Dublin on Friday evening and the ramps are terrible, they are the pillow type to allow buses over them but the sides are gone which means it's just a lump in the middle of the road

As for concrete, there's a road in Drimnagh that's concrete, it's a pain, the road noise is horrible and even when you're in a house the noise is brutal

Big Nasty

Onkle wrote: »

I drove into Rush, North Co.Dublin on Friday evening and the ramps are terrible, they are the pillow type to allow buses over them but the sides are gone which means it's just a lump in the middle of the road

As for concrete, there's a road in Drimnagh that's concrete, it's a pain, the road noise is horrible and even when you're in a house the noise is brutal

I've been noticing this more and more lately (sandstone ramp / crossing thing). Belgard Road (Square end), Templeogue village, Taylors Lane, Simmonscourt Road - all in a bad way, and that's just off the top of my head!

stevenmu

Concrete and asphalt are both far superior to our more normal method of road surfacing, i.e. spray some black gunk on the road, drop a big pile of pebbles and leg it.

Gary ITR

MCMLXXV wrote: »

I've been noticing this more and more lately (sandstone ramp / crossing thing). Belgard Road (Square end)

I've had to stop driving that way, it's awful

opinion guy

pcbscott wrote: »

perhaps Ireland could lead the way in innovation?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiZ5bSntwhM

Thats just stupid for a whole collection of reasons

Wetbench4

I find the concrete roads much more slippy when it rains compared to the normal roads.