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How long would roads last without cars and especially large trucks driving on them?
by spullara 6y ago
How long would roads last without cars and especially large trucks driving on them?
- jcranmer 6y agoThis is a picture of the ex-Crater Rim Road in Hawaii: https://goo.gl/maps/dTnxPHvW5ad2PtYh7 https://goo.gl/maps/dTnxPHvW5ad2PtYh7 The road in question was closed as a result of a 1983 earthquake. Part of the road is now used as the Crater Rim Trail, and if you pan around a little bit, you can see just how close the trail is to the current rim of the crater. I don't know how long ago those pictures were taken, but my recollection of the road's condition circa 2005 when I hiked the trail wasn't all that much better. While the parts of the ex-road that are now used as a trail are in decent enough condition, the parts that are not are not in any condition to be used as a path. Admittedly, this is the windward side of Hawaii (and hence very conducive to fast growth), but the usable lifespan of an unused, unmaintained asphalt road should generally be figured in the region of a few decades at most.
- spullara 6y agoThat road has at least another 40-50 years. Probably longer based it being built 50 years+ ago and left to disrepair 38 years ago. Not to mention it being on unstable ground.