Road maintenance costs--is it much cheaper to maintain roads in

[raccoon]

an area that has mild winters, such as the South, than near the US-Canada border?

(This may seem like a no-brainer, but you never can tell.)

It seems that in colder areas there would be more potholes, needing more repairs.

Anybody ever worked in Dept. of Road Repairs, or something similar?

[tularetom]

1. Freeze-thaw cycles are the main cause of potholes

Water gets into the spaces in asphalt road surfaces and the underlying base. When the water freezes it expands and pushes the surfacing apart breaking the bond of the asphalt. When the ice melts the sections that have been loosened tend to pop away from the rest of the road paving. When this happens enough times you wind up with a pothole.

So I'd imagine that the pothole problem would be worst in areas where the days were above freezing, but temperatures dropped below freezing at night.

[AndyA]

2. We have horrible roads in Tulsa right now, and fairly mild winters.

We've been told the damage is caused by the freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw cycle, which gets moisture trapped in tiny cracks in the road. When it freezes, it expands, shoving the sections apart, making a larger crack that allows more moisture in, then it freezes, expands, etc.

When it's full of water and the temp drops dramatically, it is especially bad.

Use of salt and chemicals on the roads to ward off ice buildup also isn't helpful.

[MineralMan]

3. I don't have any data about this,

but it sure seems like roads here in Minnesota deteriorate faster than similar roads in California, where I lived previously.

[ThomWV]

4. West Virginia has the most expensive to maintain roads in the United States

Topography has a lot to do with it but of course weather is a big player in the initial destruction, particularly if the application was substandard to start with.

[DCKit]

5. The salt used on northern roads is especially damaging.

Yeah, I would think it's more expensive.

Then again, the construction firms that build roads are among the most corrupt and are notorious for cutting corners. No matter where you live, you're not getting the durability your taxes are paying for.

[Igel]

6. Can be.

Freezing weather and salt/calcium chloride are bad for roads.

Mild climates are good, but in Arizona you wind up with asphalt going soft. You don't get potholes, but you get nasty lumps near intersections from all the cars and trucks slowing down and, over time, creating ripples in the asphalt. Concrete's great, as long as it's well made.

Some places have crappy roads because the ground gets saturated and slips; some areas in the hills around Eugene, Oregon (and up in the canyons in Southern CA) are like this. The road splits and stretches, or develops gaps under the pavement ... and that leads to bad roads.

Meanwhile Houston has a lot of gumbo soil, just as and Eugene does. Gumbo's a kind of heavily organic clay that swells a lot when it's wet and shrinks when it's dry--nasty to plow or dig in when it's wet, and worse when it's dry because it's rock solid. This can create results very much like the freeze-thaw cycle does if there are cracks in the pavement.

[raccoon]

8. I've noticed that near some intersections here (SC) too.

" but you get nasty lumps near intersections from all the cars and trucks slowing down "

[ConcernedCanuk]

7. Oh yeah - the more variance in temperature, the more maintenance needed

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I live in Northern Ontario, and I've lived in California (San Diego)

I also have traveled through over 2 dozen of the USA states - and most of the roads are in better shape than ours. (well that was all pre 1980)

Most of our roads suck

Most of our major highways are in good shape, but they are very expensive, and have roadbeds over 6 feet deep to prevent frost heaving which is our major problem

Some of us that live on the fringes, out in the country - like winter because the snow and ice smooths out the roads!