|
Decorah 24/7
is
part
of
the
24/7 Network of Local News and Community Directory
Web Sites, published by JJC Media.
The aim of the 24/7 Network is to provide local residents with
information about the area, prospective residents with a relocation
guide and advertisers with access to that traffic.
Posting information on the site is free. E-mail media releases,
pictures, video or information about your event or use this handy form!
For more information about advertising on the sites click here.
|
|
News
What’s
the
“hole” Story About the Rough Road Conditions?
Posted 12 February
2010
Motorists are asking the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) “Why
are some roads so bumpy? Why are there so many potholes this year?”
The Iowa DOT says the answer has to do with a combination of factors,
including an aging and deteriorating road system, an unusual amount of
precipitation and cold temperatures.
Have you ever placed a beverage can in the freezer to chill and
forgotten to take it out? If you were lucky, the can simply bulged and
became disfigured. If you were not so lucky, it burst releasing its
contents in the freezer.
This is very similar to what is happening to our roadways. The moisture
that has seeped through the cracks and joints of our aging roads has
become trapped beneath. When the subsurface temperatures freeze, the
moisture expands. Pressure from the significant quantity of expanding
moisture is causing the pavement to bulge, heave and/or fracture.
When the pavement is elevated, it is vulnerable to further damage from
snowplow blades and heavy and frequent traffic. Bit by bit each
fracture and crack spreads and, before you know it, you have a
good-sized pothole.
So what can be done about the problem? While some temporary pothole
patching is being performed between winter storms, there is nothing
that can be done about heaved sections until warmer temperatures arrive
and pavement can naturally resettle in place. Once this occurs, road
crews can make short-term repairs by sealing cracks and joints and
patching the potholes and fractured areas with longer-lasting
materials. In the long term, roads that are deteriorating must be
replaced when funds become available or the situation will repeat
itself the following winters and only worsen from year to year.
|
|
The Goal
of Decorah 24/7 is to provide
the most
up to date information possible!
Please let
us know if anything on this site needs updating,
if your
group is having an event,
or if you
have a news story.
We publish
a network of similar sites, The 24/7
News
Network.
If your
information pertains to more than one of our sites,
we'll
spread the word.
e-mail
Information to:
info@decorah247.com
Or
Post
information Using the Form Below:
|
Please Support this
Site by Clicking on Our Sponsor's Ads
 
 
|
