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Old 08-02-2018, 07:49 AM
 
Location: Swiftwater, PA
18,757 posts, read 18,039,403 times
Reputation: 14747

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Quote:
Originally Posted by ciceropolo View Post
Discussion of potholes reminded me of this product as a temporary fix in climates with freeze thaw cycles. (Non Newtonian fluids as temporary and reusable fix!)



Silly Putty for Potholes | Science | AAAS
https://www.universityvideos.org/Doc...select%2013111)


Last I have seen about it
https://www.yeupatchtechnologies.com/the-u-patch

https://www.cleveland.com/metro/inde...tch_pitch.html
Lots of people have studied repairing potholes for a long time. Usually the problem comes from an underling factor; like bad road drainage or cracked concrete under asphalt. Temporary fixes are temporary and do not solve the problem. If you notice; most potholes occur in the same place all the time - no matter how many times the road has been repaired. That should tell us something; like we are wasting our money unless we do the job right! If the drainage culvert under the road is clogged; fixing the hole on top of that culvert will not fix the problem.

We do know how to build better roads. Isn't it better to have roads that last five, ten, or twenty years - without a pothole?

But; thanks for your links!
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Old 08-02-2018, 01:20 PM
 
4,175 posts, read 4,418,765 times
Reputation: 10102
Quote:
Originally Posted by fisheye View Post
Lots of people have studied repairing potholes for a long time. Usually the problem comes from an underling factor; like bad road drainage or cracked concrete under asphalt. Temporary fixes are temporary and do not solve the problem. If you notice; most potholes occur in the same place all the time - no matter how many times the road has been repaired. That should tell us something; like we are wasting our money unless we do the job right! If the drainage culvert under the road is clogged; fixing the hole on top of that culvert will not fix the problem.

We do know how to build better roads. Isn't it better to have roads that last five, ten, or twenty years - without a pothole?

But; thanks for your links!

Yes, I agree with you, it would be great to build roads like the Romans
How Did the Romans Make Concrete That Lasts Longer Than Modern Concrete? The Mystery Finally Solved | Open Culture


https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-40494248


but I'm guessing those few big construction firms that have a monopoly on large scale infrastructure projects and their ability to influence (pay off politicians) and steer policy in their favor will not be too excited about something that would diminish their revenue stream (short life cycle product - constant work).


An approach to build things better initially with long term life cycles in mind would be to utilize different type of financing for public works projects. North Dakota has an idea - not necessarily with the long term in mind - but if you get the gist of their state bank financing goals and operations overview, I think you'll find a correlation to that philosophy being accepted and encouraged to do public works like roads, bridges, dams, and the like.
Proposal would use Legacy Fund to finance ND public works projects | INFORUM
https://ilsr.org/rule/bank-of-north-dakota-2/
https://bnd.nd.gov/the-bnd-story/
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Old 08-02-2018, 02:27 PM
 
Location: Swiftwater, PA
18,757 posts, read 18,039,403 times
Reputation: 14747
Quote:
Originally Posted by ciceropolo View Post
Yes, I agree with you, it would be great to build roads like the Romans
How Did the Romans Make Concrete That Lasts Longer Than Modern Concrete? The Mystery Finally Solved | Open Culture


https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-40494248


but I'm guessing those few big construction firms that have a monopoly on large scale infrastructure projects and their ability to influence (pay off politicians) and steer policy in their favor will not be too excited about something that would diminish their revenue stream (short life cycle product - constant work).


An approach to build things better initially with long term life cycles in mind would be to utilize different type of financing for public works projects. North Dakota has an idea - not necessarily with the long term in mind - but if you get the gist of their state bank financing goals and operations overview, I think you'll find a correlation to that philosophy being accepted and encouraged to do public works like roads, bridges, dams, and the like.
Proposal would use Legacy Fund to finance ND public works projects | INFORUM
https://ilsr.org/rule/bank-of-north-dakota-2/
https://bnd.nd.gov/the-bnd-story/

I have seen that research on the Roman concrete before; it's interesting. But they do not know if that blend could be reproduced in mass quantities.

I also studied economics in college; but my 'study' was more practical while driving truck. I liked smooth roads and efficient roadwork. I always thought, what would be best for all of us, is if we all used the best practices of the other states or nations. Examples: If NJ can lay miles of asphalt during the off peak hours of the night; why can't we? Of if Ohio can build a half mile long three lane bridge for I-80 east in one year; why does it take us the same time to build a two lane bridge 200 feet long? If TN can lay five miles of asphalt in one ten hour day; why can't we?

Part of the problem is that we cannot acknowledge that somebody else works smarter. If we did; that would say that we work dumber; nobody likes to be dumb!

When it comes to speed and longevity in roadwork; they save lives. If you go to the NHTSA website and go through their statistics concerning fatal accidents in work zones; you will see that only about one in ten is a pedestrian. Most fatal accidents occur to people in vehicles. That does not mean that it is not dangerous to be a highway worker. But the motorist that are passing though the work zone are in the greatest danger. Anytime you stop or slow down traffic you take a chance of an accident. So the faster highway workers work and the longer their work last; the more lives they will save - speed saves lives!

That is also the reason that I questioned whether or not we could do a better engineering job on the bridge approach slabs.
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Old 08-02-2018, 04:31 PM
 
5,108 posts, read 6,046,144 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tnff View Post

Well there's a reason for the lowest bidder and it's usually quality. So you get what you pay for.

Old Military saying 'Remember your weapon was made by the lowest bidder'
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