carp65
Sioux Falls, SD
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Joined: 08/26/2004
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Have just come across the southern portion of Minnesota and were
apalled at the condition of two major highways--Route 14 which is
the Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Highway and I-90.
Both roads are nothing more than washboards-thump-thump-thump! When
possible on I-90 I drove mostly in the outside lane--much smoother.
It seems the only repairs they do are to fill the uplifted cracks
with hot tar. Does the State of Minnesota know what "highway
maintenance" is?
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rvtommy
blooming prairie minnesota
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Joined: 07/15/2004
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If I rember right in the late 50s my daddy took the family to Austin Minnesoa where one of the first stretches of the Interstate system was started in the U.S. (that was a long time ago!!) They even built one bridge to low that did not let tall trucks go under it they actually had to dig the freeway lower!! I have lived near Austin all my life and they are forever in construction our back roads are in far better shape than the main highways!! The winter freeze and the spring ain and freeze again the state just cannot keep up!!! just my 2 cents rvtommy
this is rvtommy
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Briteskys
Mesa, AZ
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Joined: 09/21/2006
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carp65 is right on.. Hwy 90 in MN is a disgrace to our national hwy system.
This taken in June between Albert Lea & Rochester.
'02 Beaver 40' Patriot Thunder
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Bumpyroad
Virginia
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Joined: 12/01/2005
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Route 14 used to have some ruts in it according to my grandpa who lived in Tyler. when they first paved it (lots of years ago) some kids thought it would be fun to drive on it before they opened it. unfortunately they also drove on it before the concrete set up and they got stuck in ruts. 
bumpy
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fthomas200
Illinois
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Joined: 04/03/2005
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The fundamental problem with I-90 in MN is that much of it is concrete and it is impossible to build a concrete highway that is smooth. Not being a highway engineer, I don't know the basis for this but it is a fact.
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paulj
Seattle
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Joined: 06/11/2007
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Seems that the SD portion of I90 isn't much better,
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/21804325.cfm
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grey`eagle
N31° 55’ W95° 30’ ----- ESE of One Tree, TX
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Joined: 07/06/2004
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fthomas200 wrote:The fundamental problem with I-90 in MN is that much of it is concrete and it is impossible to build a concrete highway that is smooth. - snip-
Say what?
They've been building AutoBahn's in Germany with concrete since the early 30's. Germany is further north, latitude wise, than MN. Germany pretty well had it figured out 25 years before our first interstates were started by President Eisenhower who just happened to be the SHAFE commander during WW11 and brought the idea back to the US after the war.
'04 F-250 PSD TV
'04 CF28CK Cruiser
Now enjoying mother earth at ground level and one mile per minute.
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paulj
Seattle
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Joined: 06/11/2007
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A common problem with concrete is that the slabs get tilted, resulting in a sawtooth surface. I think heavy truck loads are largely to blame. I've seen repairs where they somehow leveled the slabs (tilting or grinding), and then joined them with rods, so they would stay aligned. The join still has to allow thermal expansion of the concrete.
For heavy use, properly engineered concrete remains the best choice. With heavy loads asphalt flows, especially in hot weather. In the Seattle University district, sections of asphalt pavement at bus stops were replaced with concrete, because of the repeated loads from buses. Large airport airstrips are also usually concrete. In some cases, I believe a thin layer of asphalt is applied on top of concrete to improve smoothness.
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dons2346
Sioux Falls, SD, formerly of So. CA
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Joined: 11/21/2001
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Drove that road in July and it is rough for sure. Had to replace two fillings after the trip 
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kknowlton
Wisconsin Border Country, IL
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Joined: 05/27/2005
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Whether it's heavy truck loads or freeze-thaw cycles, the concrete roads in the entire upper Midwest are the PITS. Thump-thump-thump is right - it's not just noise, you FEEL every joint. I-90 is bad not just in MN and SD, it's bad in WI, and so is I-43 in WI, and parts of US 20 in IL. And I could go on & on. You'd think someone would come up with a solution - but then, maybe it's just us RVers who notice it???
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