The roads are melting

Cookie_Monster

So after a winter where lots of roads broke up due to the cold, it's been reported in the cycling forum that lots of roads in Wicklow are melting today in the heat :rolleyes:

Why can we not build proper roads in this country that can withstand a 40C swing in temp without failing Everywhere else seems to be perfectly capable of it

AugustusMinimus

Imagine the temperature swing in the likes of Minnesota.

ninty9er

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Everywhere else seems to be perfectly capable of it

Really? I'm no expert, but I'm fairly sure I've seen crunbling roads in every country I've been in. The US is particularly bad.

Berty

Drove many back roads today. Most were lethal because of melting. And I de-tarred the car. Why bother????

Our man in Havana

Concrete roads ftw.

pajo1981

Our man in Havana wrote: »

Concrete roads ftw.

Concrete roads are awful to drive on.

Our man in Havana

It is a trade off really.

sleepysniper

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Why can we not build proper roads

Welcome to Ireland;):pac:

What did the temperature get to?

Berty

Oh no. We can build proper roads but we have to use foreign labour to do it.

Roadstone are fairly good at buildling small stretches. Lagan are good at buildling long stretches by using English labourers aka drunks.

-Professional experience.

TestTransmission

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Imagine the temperature swing in the likes of Minnesota.

Mental actually,I was there in January as my work colleagues are based there,gets as low as -25 celsius during the winter and it's in the 30's today and their roads seem to survive.

Voodoomelon

Before I went to New York, I had high hopes for perfectly flat roads with super smooth surfaces. Jesus christ the roads are appalling over there, potholes, cracks, craters, actual mounds of rubble that would cripple any car over here. The big yellow cabs just bounce and wallow over them, but some of the holes are a good 8" deep and they're everywhere. Makes some of our roads look like snooker tables.

hi.im.fred

Deleted User wrote: »

What did the temperature get to?

20 in dublin today..

The roads are terrible here.. especially for lowered cars

mink_man

tracks ftw. i don't know why we can't just have tracks instead of roads. less accidents, more efficient. I'm on about having little carriages rather than cars on tracks.

DoubleBogey

After years of our road tax being used on water services and other non road related work, maybe they can use some of the upcoming water charges to fix the roads.

Guy:Incognito

DoubleBogey wrote: »

After years of our road tax being used on water services and other non road related work, maybe they can use some of the upcoming water charges to fix the roads.

You mean motor tax, which is not ringfenced for roads or anything road related , nor does it say it is.

The UK have "road tax" . We do not. www.motortax.ie

DoubleBogey

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

You mean motor tax, which is not ringfenced for roads or anything road related , nor does it say it is.

The UK have "road tax" . We do not. www.motortax.ie

That's my point.

run_Forrest_run

I dunno folks, I've seen bad roads in Canada & the States but the difference was they were being actively repaired which was an annual activity due to the harsh winters etc.
So is it a funding thing (or the lack of) over a specific engineering thing?

dr.fuzzenstein

One year drove from Ennis to Scarrif, was about 28 degrees, I thought the road was flooded because it looked wet and it sounded like driving through water.
It was completely melted, there where chunks coming off it.
Never seen that back in Germany and I've seen temperatures go from -30 (coldest I remember) to +30 (in the summer, of course:D) and it always seemed that everything held together pretty well.
Not the motorways, but the backroads, actually. Not sure what they where made off, but deffo not awful to drive on.
I will never understand how people will defend roads that crumble, melt, etc... with "but they're so nice to drive on!", yeah, after you've scraped a pound of tar off your car and replaced the (on average) one or two rims a year.
Having said that, the new roads seem to hold together pretty well and on the whole things have improved a lot.
There really is an unbelievable amount of backroads here and it would be impossible to service them all.
If it wheren't for the way houses where peppered across the landscape here without a plan of any sort for many, many years, we could shut half of them down and turn them into (desperately needed) walking routes.
So sadly the decrepit backroad network will have to do for a good while and there must be some money out there, because they fixed the one outside my house and I do live in one of those senslessly placed countryside houses.

Matt Simis

Pff, didnt see any problem today, drove 70km, small stretch of motorway and rest backroads. Windows down, roof open, wasnt holding back on the noise pedal either.

What is problem you all seen?

hi.im.fred

hi.im.fred wrote: »

20 in dublin today..

The roads are terrible here.. especially for lowered cars

Yea I bought lowered springs for my e30 2 years ago and never used them cause of the roads.

mondeo

Loads of wet melted tar in blessington village yesterday.

Esel

As kids, we used to play with the melted tar with ice pop sticks. Try telling that to the kids of today.....

Cookie_Monster

was out on the bike today around Wicklow, the road from Powerscourt waterfall up towards Sally Gap was already melting by 10am. All the new tar put down to fill in the hole was like cycling over jelly.

A lovely day though:) got up to 27 deg today!

GTE

Berty wrote: »

Most were lethal because of melting. And I de-tarred the car. Why bother????

How was it different to driving under "normal" conditions? Is there a serious amount of tar on the surface?

I don't have experience with this and I wont be out on the roads for a week. I am ruddy interested =D

argosy2006

Just detared car last week
now my car is retarded , dam sun

Capt'n Midnight

Esel wrote: »

As kids, we used to play with the melted tar with ice pop sticks. Try telling that to the kids of today.....

and having to use margarine to remove the tar off hands and clothes

Capt'n Midnight

Our man in Havana wrote: »

Concrete roads ftw.

wasn't there something about concrete roads in places where it's likely to freeze ?

Fishtits

Usual rubbish, no doubt its the cheapest bidder.

Our country really needs to get a grip IMHO

pete4130

Living in Sydney right now and the roads don't melt like back home. In retrospect, they do offer significantly LESS grip as a trade off, especially in the rain, wheel spin/understeer around small roundabouts in the dry in a 115hp fwd estate without putting the foot down. It was 42c back in February for 5 days straight. No melting. I'm working up in Queensland and its regularly 45c+ in summer up to early 50c's and roads dont melt.

Like others have said, its a trade off.

Capt'n Midnight

pete4130 wrote: »

Living in Sydney right now and the roads don't melt like back home. In retrospect, they do offer significantly LESS grip as a trade off, especially in the rain, wheel spin/understeer around small roundabouts in the dry in a 115hp fwd estate without putting the foot down. It was 42c back in February for 5 days straight. No melting. I'm working up in Queensland and its regularly 45c+ in summer up to early 50c's and roads dont melt.

Like others have said, its a trade off.

40 years ago in Oz they woud retain a large chunk of the payment to the road contractor for 10-15 years in case there was a problem with the roads. Reputible companies could borrow against this future payment.