In the heat of a federal election campaign, (click here) where infrastructure has been a key issue for all parties, trucking company owner Dave Tyrchniewicz would like politicians vying to form government to know something.
Our roads suck.
"The roads all over Canada are deplorable," Tyrchniewicz said...
Bad roads cost money. It costs for repairs of trucks and cars. Roads are dangerous when out of repair because they can cause tire rupture and accidents.
Legislators in the US Congress need to pay attention. Just because the South has better weather than the North, there is no excuse for putting American lives at risk. What absolutely astounds me is the permission to travel at high speed to 70 mph or more while the infrastructure is really bad. And let's talk about how far we have gotten with our bridges from the Recovery Act. States were taking it seriously, some with a motto "The Worst Goes First."
...Truck drivers are uniquely qualified to report anecdotally on road conditions. Tyrchniewicz said big rigs are more sensitive to bumps in the roads than a smaller vehicle. Each crack, dip and pothole will reverberate though the trailer and into the cab with teeth-rattling intensity, he said.
"There is no doubt that we feel it more," he said. "And when you’re driving on those Canadian roads, you know that it’s going to cost you more money."...
Americans travel on Canadian roads as well.
The average concrete road is expected to last about 50 years before it has to be completely dug out and reconstructed. This takes the road through a variety of life stages....
...The golden years
(40-50 years)
When a road gets this old, even repeated asphalt overlays and repairs to the underlying concrete cannot produce a smooth, level surface for very long.
At this stage, cracks, bumps and sinkholes begin to appear as the underlying base shifts and fails.
At some point, realizing that even the most expensive rehabilitation will not improve the overall condition, the road is scheduled for reconstruction.
Currently in Manitoba, that costs about $1.7 million per two-lane kilometre.
