Posted on 03/25/2017 9:59:36 AM PDT by Morgana
I had a d discussion with someone in a town government responsible for road repair.
I am always curious as to what percentage of funds allocated for actual cost of products to maintain something is, so I asked.
He said for money allocated to road repair, only about 40-50% is actually used for materials. So 50-60% goes to contractors to cover worker salaries, equipment and profits.
To compound the problem, in his case he covers 56 miles of town road. But with the budget he is given each year he can only repair 2-3 miles of road a year. I said so this means to deal with everything you’re talking 56 miles of pothole patches, and he said yeah, pretty much.
And the car, all by itself didn’t just decide to drive into the guardrail. I despise how the media writes this as if the inanimate object decided to crash on its own, like it’s a driverless thing.
Also on TN-33 & US 441 intersection in Knox County has been under construction for about 5 years now and still no end in sight. I-75 from Jellico to Knoxville was done in less time once construction began. The Spur Interstate aka old I-75 between I-640 and I-40 is another design goof. Coster Shops which was a railroad maintenance yard still existed sorta when the new bridge was built. The bridge is OK but the six lane from the bridge to I-40 is pitched wrong at the Oldham/Woodland ave exit curve. That route serves four hospital routes ambulances take.
In Knox County West Raccoon Valley Road has a railroad bridge that is completely blind and one lane shared by east and west bound traffic and this is a state highway dump trucks and garbage trucks use to the tune of one truck per minute at least in the day time. Chapman Highway in Knoxville hasn't been upgraded thanks to the bicycle and joggers as well as environmentalist who are against another road into south Knoxville to ease traffic Congestion. Then the real good one Cumberland Ave in Knoxville or as it's called at UT The Strip. The city, state, and federal government, ceded one lane of it both ways to the university for it's environmental Green Nonsense. That road is a route to access two hospital in that area.
Don’t hit it.
Thanks so much. I understand now what the problem is.....;)
You can thank the collusion between unions and politicians for the state we are in.
Ends of guardrails are curved over and down into the ground here in NC, on multilane highways at least. On rural roads I’m sure there are still old style guardrails that could impale a car running head on into the end of it.
Nobody has ever confused me of being in Mensa, but if I can see a problem with this photo at first glance shouldn’t all the engineers and computer simulations have picked it up during the design?
There are plenty of roads without guardrails. It’s up to the driver to drive according to the conditions.
I think the argument here is the the guardrail made the road more dangerous than having nothing at all. If we are going to spend tax money installing them, they should probably make the roads more safe, not less safe.
When you damage government property in an accident you get billed for it. It’s unfortunate she died, but she still must have done something wrong to hit that gaurdrail, which he says is defective but probably isn’t.
It is a really stupid design, best to avoid hitting it. However, sometimes perfectly safe and competent drivers are caught up in stupid people’s accidents.
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