BIKE: "States Mull Taxing Drivers By Mile"

[Roger Baker]

Its true, or I imagine its close; damage goes up close to exponentially 
with axle load.

The situation is that roads are made of asphalt composition supported 
on crushed rock. The asphalt can flex but not by too much before you 
get microcracking. Then water gets in and helps the cracks grow, 
particularly in winter if it freezes, and soon you have individual 
pieces of asphalt in the shape of a road rubbed together by each new 
wheel impact.

The European solution is to build thicker substructure and asphalt 
which lasts far longer, especially since long range upkeep there is 
part of the building contract.

Here in Texas where TxDOT and the road contractors are in cahoots we 
build roads fast and cheap compared to Europe, and then wink when the 
trucking lobby runs overweight vehicles that tear up the roads. They 
can even buy special permits to run heavy trucks that shred the roads 
fast.

Its only public money and the public is way too ignorant  of the facts 
to complain.  If TxDOT runs out of money to keep this game going, they 
just borrow money from Wall Street to build toll roads. -- Roger




On Feb 16, 2005, at 8:44 AM, Byrnes, Rick wrote:

>  John SomdeCerff wrote:    "A fully loaded truck causes about 8,000 
> times
> the damage to the roads as a car. "
>
> I could understand that a truck causes a lot more damage than a car 
> does,
> but is there any empirical basis for the 8,000 number?    It's not a 
> burning
> question, but I was just wondering if somebody made it up because is 
> sounded
> good.
>
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