The pot holes and the frost heaves are horrendous right now.
By writersedge
@writersedge (22563)
United States
February 23, 2011 10:45am CST
They have these little signs that say bump that you can't see until you're a few feet in front of them. An article in the newspaper said that there are more vehicle repairs due to roads this year than in any other year prior. I tried to stop and slid into a pot hole the other day. I would have gone around, but around would have been off the side of a bridge into a river on a back road.
How is the driving where you live? Do you have pot holes? Forst heaves? It's really early for them here, but we certainly do have them.
4 people like this
7 responses
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
24 Feb 11
We went through a hole accidentally a few months ago then a few miles further on our wheel fell off! Seriously! The bump must have broken one of the wheel nuts and the resultant wiggling loosened the others. We only ever found three out of six.
Thank goodness we were very near home when the wheel came off, and on a very very bumpy bit which we were driving very slowly.
1 person likes this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
24 Feb 11
Do you have spares? Wheel nuts that is. Otherwise, checking isn't going to do much good unless you have Triple A and can get a tow truck.
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
24 Feb 11
Checking would at least prevent driving further on a damaged one which would possibly come off unexpectedly. It's a really important safety consideration.
Actually we discovered that to buy new wheel nuts for my car I have to actually buy an entire wheel, which is nearly as expensive as the car!
1 person likes this
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
23 Feb 11
I don't know what "frost heaves" are but I know pot holes..We have a lot, in fact at the top of the lake there is a some portion of the road where they have "Hazardous road ahead" signs..
The road I am on, it's nothing but mud and I am just waiting to see if my son's bus will stop coming down it. A couple years ago this happened, fortunately on a day my husband was home and I had the car. The bus driver was so scared of getting stuck, I saw her drive right past our road. When I called the bus garage, they said that the road was no safe for the bus. So while I took my son to school, my husband called the office who called maintenance who spent that day putting down rocks. (Yeah, they are to cheap to put down a real road even though we supposedly paid for one 
) They were not finished by the time my son was due home, so I walked up the street to get him.
I mentioned this to my husband who called the office, hoping to get ahead of the game and he was blown off. (I heard his conversation, I would have blown him off too..
) So now it is just sit and wait, see what happens..
The road I am on, it's nothing but mud and I am just waiting to see if my son's bus will stop coming down it. A couple years ago this happened, fortunately on a day my husband was home and I had the car. The bus driver was so scared of getting stuck, I saw her drive right past our road. When I called the bus garage, they said that the road was no safe for the bus. So while I took my son to school, my husband called the office who called maintenance who spent that day putting down rocks. (Yeah, they are to cheap to put down a real road even though we supposedly paid for one ) They were not finished by the time my son was due home, so I walked up the street to get him.
I mentioned this to my husband who called the office, hoping to get ahead of the game and he was blown off. (I heard his conversation, I would have blown him off too..) So now it is just sit and wait, see what happens..1 person likes this
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
23 Feb 11
Oh yeah, we have those too. dips and bumps and places where sheets of compressed rock just lift up like a scab on a wound..Really interesting to drive on, NOT...LOL
1 person likes this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
23 Feb 11
So you guys don't call that frost heaves, what do you call it?
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169603)
• United States
24 Feb 11
Well, I am glad you did not go off the side of the bridge. I have not seen any more pot holes than usual. There are several areas around where counties are doing road work so we see torn up roads etc. everywhere. I think they are doing some patching. I guess it is the same as usual.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
24 Feb 11
No roadwork to be seen here, yet. Roadwork, anywhere with the budgets so in peril, is a good thing, I think.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (64177)
• United States
23 Feb 11
Well, we don't have frost heaves around here, because the ground never really freezes, or if it does, its only the very top layer.
On the other hand, because this winter has been pretty dry, we've also not had quite as many pot holes as normal, but I've certainly hit some serious ones in the past!
1 person likes this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
23 Feb 11
So you're having a good year and we're having a bad one for that. Different areas have different years. Thanks and take care.
1 person likes this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
24 Feb 11
Wow!
We usually "bottom out" around here and the oil pan or the bumpers catch it.
1 person likes this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
24 Feb 11
Potholes we've got aplenty, but what, pray tell us, are "frost heaves?" We snow-deprived Central Texans haven't a clue, really. It conjures up an image of a snowman on a 3-week bender, retching snowflakes up in an alley, somewhere...
Maggiepie
"During times of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." ~ George Orwell "1984"
Maggiepie
"During times of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." ~ George Orwell "1984"1 person likes this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
24 Feb 11
Definition is under #1 and she's from an area like mine, don't know why they don't call it frost heaves there.
Water, when turning to ice, expands and contracts. Snow melts, turns to water, soaks into the ground, freezes and pushes the roads all out of wack, esp. here where frost can be 1 foot or more deep. Pipes are supposed to be put 3 feet deep to keep from having frost break or Heave up the pipes. So a road doesn't stand a chance. We have roads where the tarmack is in layers and can actually stretch a few times before it will actually break.
2 people like this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
25 Feb 11
Aha! So that's it! Thanks for the explanation. Sure beats my drunken snowman image! Still no fun to deal with, though, I'm sure.
Maggiepie
"Remember that a government big enough to give you everything you want is also big enough to take away everything you have." ~ Barry Goldwater
Still no fun to deal with, though, I'm sure.
Maggiepie
"Remember that a government big enough to give you everything you want is also big enough to take away everything you have." ~ Barry Goldwater
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
23 Feb 11
Wide trucks do make it difficult to go around them. I hope the roads get better for us. Take care.
1 person likes this
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
24 Feb 11
My goodness, writers...I am still dodging the ones from last year! Our weather has not abated from this year, so hasn't warmed up enough to where the pavement heaves..so we have NO new ones..but are still dodging the ones from last year! Going to work in the dark, I truly have to rely on my memory, via the landscape, as to where they are...Lights are not the greatest on an E-bike. I have hit a few, as I was being distracted by a deer! Which there are far too many here! Take heart...we still have last years. Cheers!
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
25 Feb 11
You have an e-bike? Your frost heaves didn't subside? I know you're in Canada, but I didn't think you were in perma-frost land.
1 person likes this
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
25 Feb 11
OH NO! Somehow, their is a misintrepretation here! I do NOT live in Hinterland, there is perma-frost much, much further North. THE POTHOLES from last year, were NEVER repaired! So they are pre-existing..and now we have just had our 1st (yes, first) freezing spell of this year, so we will have a compulation of two years potholes to dodge. apparently budget constraints.
YES...I am the very proud owner of an E-bike, and have for TWO years and 7 months, and it is basically my only mode of transportation! In fuel, and insurance...loosely calculated, it has saved me nearly $7000.00 over that time! One short day this winter (It snowed 19 inches in the morning, gone by nightfall) was the only day I did not ride it to work, so walked! (it's only 2 miles) It costs me 58 cents for a full charge of 60 miles! I think the best thing about it is the fresh air, course not fun in rain...or like this morning when it is minus 18...so wear a balaclava, and many layers. When I go to the city, it saves me on Ferry fare, and I must really limit my shopping, as to what I can carry, which I love, as nothing nefarious comes home with me. 
Take care ..and Cheers!
! So they are pre-existing..and now we have just had our 1st (yes, first) freezing spell of this year, so we will have a compulation of two years potholes to dodge. apparently budget constraints.
YES...I am the very proud owner of an E-bike, and have for TWO years and 7 months, and it is basically my only mode of transportation! In fuel, and insurance...loosely calculated, it has saved me nearly $7000.00 over that time! One short day this winter (It snowed 19 inches in the morning, gone by nightfall) was the only day I did not ride it to work, so walked! (it's only 2 miles) It costs me 58 cents for a full charge of 60 miles! I think the best thing about it is the fresh air, course not fun in rain...or like this morning when it is minus 18...so wear a balaclava, and many layers. When I go to the city, it saves me on Ferry fare, and I must really limit my shopping, as to what I can carry, which I love, as nothing nefarious comes home with me. Take care ..and Cheers!@writersedge (22563)
• United States
26 Feb 11
I didn't think you were in permafrost zone.
Can't wait to see our budget mess and our roads when they try to balance our budget in NY State as well as USA Federal Government, waiting to see what all our governments do.
60 miles on a charge! Do you have a link to ebikes? I think you should start a discussion about this. Do you know how many units of electricy (like kw) it takes to charge it? I'd like to figure out how much it would cost here. My area buys electricity from the St. John's Bay project in Canada. We have wind energy, but that goes somewhere else.
