Philly Roads (Philadelphia, York, Washington: 2014, taxes, live)

[rgtsc01]

I've lived in the northeast for most of my life but have never seen roads as poorly maintained as the Philadelphia area.

I moved into the area to assist in the care of my aging parents.

You cannot take your eyes off the road for a moment. And driving at night, in the rain when visibility is poor - that is a terrible risk.

Last October (not even pothole season) I was driving back from the gym on Haverford Road in the dark, in fog, and hit a pothole so deep it blew out both front and rear tires. This was on a newer Mercedes sedan, on the now normal oversized rims that auto manufacturers provide as "standard".

What's more the roads are very narrow in the Philadelphia area. You may have no chance to evade potholes. Some are alarmingly large and deep. They stay unattended to for months, despite being downright dangerous in some cases.

Now that mom and dad are no longer around, I'm moving back to the Southwest in a couple of weeks. I sure won't miss the roads!

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by rgtsc01

Now that mom and dad are no longer around, I'm moving back to the Southwest in a couple of weeks. I sure won't miss the roads!

The roads in the Philly area are certainly not winning any awards, but they're definitely no worse off than any other major, older urban area in the Northeast (e.g., Boston and New York). This is also pothole season EVERYWHERE where there is cold weather.

Even so, I'd much rather the narrow roads and lack of obnoxious highways in the Philly area than the obscene sprawl-inducing mega-highways elsewhere in the country. The smaller, quieter roads around Philly definitely create a much better ambiance overall.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by rgtsc01

I've lived in the northeast for most of my life but have never seen roads as poorly maintained as the Philadelphia area.

I moved into the area to assist in the care of my aging parents.

You cannot take your eyes off the road for a moment. And driving at night, in the rain when visibility is poor - that is a terrible risk.

Last October (not even pothole season) I was driving back from the gym on Haverford Road in the dark, in fog, and hit a pothole so deep it blew out both front and rear tires. This was on a newer Mercedes sedan, on the now normal oversized rims that auto manufacturers provide as "standard".

What's more the roads are very narrow in the Philadelphia area. You may have no chance to evade potholes. Some are alarmingly large and deep. They stay unattended to for months, despite being downright dangerous in some cases.

Now that mom and dad are no longer around, I'm moving back to the Southwest in a couple of weeks. I sure won't miss the roads!

Some of it concerns politicians(some roads are PA's responsibilty, btw and upstate pols hate the Philly area)do not care enough about infrastructure to budget enough money for roads.

I laughed at the "very narrow" roads remark. I don't disagree with that but, I'm sure you know that Philadelphia and the near in 'burbs, were established before there were cars. The current roads still reflect that.

[Leon2014]

I have not see worse in any other "major, older urban area in the Northeast".

The fault is the PWD or PGW crews, which are just as bad as every other Philly city service. Expectations are low in Philly, and nobody complains.

There are holes currently about 8" deep and 2 feet wide on Pine St.

Anybody who drives through there faster than 1mph will have the whole suspension ripped out from the body of the vehicle.

[Ant$]

i was driving eastbound last week on spruce street at night. around 42nd street, i hit a series of potholes that caused a flat.

they had JUST fixed a huge pothole in that area from the previous winter.

oh welll...now i take baltimore pike/ave. only 1 huge pothole on baltimore so far...

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Leon2014

I have not see worse in any other "major, older urban area in the Northeast".

The fault is the PWD or PGW crews, which are just as bad as every other Philly city service. Expectations are low in Philly, and nobody complains.

There are holes currently about 8" deep and 2 feet wide on Pine St.

Anybody who drives through there faster than 1mph will have the whole suspension ripped out from the body of the vehicle.

The OP's pothole "adventure" didn't happen in the city. It happened on Haverford Road. So that means it was either in Lower Merion, Haverford, or Radnor Twps. Many streets are awful in L. Merion this time of year. Downtown Ardmore is still a mess even though they're trying to patch things.

[motownewave]

Originally Posted by kyb01

It happened on Haverford Road. So that means it was either in Lower Merion, Haverford, or Radnor Twps. Many streets are awful in L. Merion this time of year.

Why in the HELL are the streets so bad in Lower Merion (or Radnor or Haverford for that matter) considering how filthy rich it is? It's not like this is Camden, full of crack addicts who don't pay a dime in taxes.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by motownewave

Why in the HELL are the streets so bad in Lower Merion (or Radnor or Haverford for that matter) considering how filthy rich it is? It's not like this is Camden, full of crack addicts who don't pay a dime in taxes.

Some of those main roads are probably maintained and funded by PennDot, which likely means that local twp pols don't have much control or power over how and when some roads get repaired.

[thedirtypirate]

PA does not have the worst roads or potholes. It might seem terrible, but it gets worse in places were the conditions are annually a lot wetter and colder. Closer to the great lakes and New England coastal states. I am pretty certain I read a study about how Rhode Island was the worst.

I just found this interactive map: Which states have the worst roads in America - The Washington Post

You have to click on each state and the stats pop up.

[motownewave]

It boggles my mind how alike Rhode Island and Louisiana are (especially the accent) despite being so far apart.