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To get to 18M number, author approximated that cost of repair 3.5 lane medium use road in industrial area (aka heavy trucks) to all roads in the town which just

To get to 18M number, author approximated that cost of repair 3.5 lane medium use road in industrial area (aka heavy trucks) to all roads in the town which just not make sense. Cost of repair low use residential 2 lane road which is majority of roads in the city is much lower and frankly nobody repaves local roads every 30 years - it just not needed. In addition $100 per month per house is significant but if it's the only thing that make small town more expensive than dense city it's still does not make city that much attractive.

ryandrake 5y ago
I think there is a flaw in the author's analysis: It's based on a fixed cost-per-length model. Not all roads cost the same to maintain. A downtown city street that gets heavy, continuous use will have to be repaired much more frequently than a sidewalk-less rural road that gets ten cars per day on its busiest day. City streets are also more complicated to repair, often having sewer pipes and electrical lines buried in close proximity, so are likely more costly to repair each time, too.
- bradlys 5y ago
  Did you read what they wrote? They clearly outline the flaws and limitations of the analysis. They say it’s just an estimate.
  - joebob42 5y ago
    Right, but it doesn't seem like a very good estimate and their whole argument hinges on it.
onionisafruit 5y ago
The author obviously put a lot of thought and effort into this article. I’m surprised he let that rough calculation be the basis for so much of it. I haven’t looked, but I suspect it isn’t hard to find expected maintenance costs for various types of roads.
- bradlys 5y ago
  I wouldn’t be surprised if the calculation is actually hard to come by because no one wants to acknowledge the issue. They all know the number is going to be fantastically large and unable to be voted in. So, they just ignore it and let the town deteriorate slowly like most of the USA.

ryandrake 5y ago

I think there is a flaw in the author's analysis: It's based on a fixed cost-per-length model. Not all roads cost the same to maintain. A downtown city street that gets heavy, continuous use will have to be repaired much more frequently than a sidewalk-less rural road that gets ten cars per day on its busiest day. City streets are also more complicated to repair, often having sewer pipes and electrical lines buried in close proximity, so are likely more costly to repair each time, too.

bradlys 5y ago
Did you read what they wrote? They clearly outline the flaws and limitations of the analysis. They say it’s just an estimate.
- joebob42 5y ago
  Right, but it doesn't seem like a very good estimate and their whole argument hinges on it.

onionisafruit 5y ago

The author obviously put a lot of thought and effort into this article. I’m surprised he let that rough calculation be the basis for so much of it. I haven’t looked, but I suspect it isn’t hard to find expected maintenance costs for various types of roads.

bradlys 5y ago
I wouldn’t be surprised if the calculation is actually hard to come by because no one wants to acknowledge the issue. They all know the number is going to be fantastically large and unable to be voted in. So, they just ignore it and let the town deteriorate slowly like most of the USA.