Rough road ahead: Where perforated pavement prevails
Posted on May 20th, 2008 – 6:05 AMBy Roadguy
Acknowledging you have a problem is often the first step:
This sign and several similar ones (the first one says “Next 38 miles”) are not on a little-used byway but rather on Interstate 94 in Wisconsin. It is indeed a little rough — Roadguy watched some motorcyclists bounce as they cruised over the bigger bumps — but frankly, it’s pretty smooth compared with I-94 between Minneapolis and St. Paul.
And that bit of highway, in turn, is pretty smooth when compared with a stretch of local roadway that alert reader Craig dubbed “insanely bad”: W. 29th Street between Lyndale and Dupont in south Minneapolis. On Friday, I rode through there on my bike, FlipCam in hand, and recorded 30 seconds’ worth of video. Those prone to motion sickness might want to avert their eyes, but I invite others to try to spot anything that isn’t a pothole or a patch:
Next time I’ll probably walk instead of bike — FlipCam video gets a bit pixelated even at low speeds. But you get the idea that it’s one rough road.
22 Responses to "Rough road ahead: Where perforated pavement prevails"
Wow. Your video looks like it was taken on a dirt road. “Insanely Bad” indeed.
I agree with yuki. The gravel driveway on my Sister In Law’s farm is smoother than that. And from what I’ve read in the Strib about road repairs, don’t expect it to get better any time soon.
Perhaps Minneapolis could create a tourist market with roads like that. “Why spend thousands to see the ancient roads of Rome when we have ‘em here, right in your own backyard. Cheap! “.
Yes, Land of Ten-thousand Budget-Cuts.
I love the bird chirping in the background.
That section of 29th is one of the few stretches of street in Minneapolis that has never been paved — it’s just layer upon layer of tar-and-gravel treatments over the years, and, as you’ve observed, a lot of patches.
It’s been scheduled for a complete rebuild several times, but has been postponed in part because it’s low on the list of priorities, but also because it’s impacted by the LynLake reconstruction project, the life cycle of those bridges over the Greenway, and the impact of all of the new development in the area.
Since the future 4 years of funding goes only to pavement preservation and bridge replacement there will be no more large new projects. So there will be lots of
pavement maintenance.
If you take the ramp off of Franklin to head to northbound West River Pkwy on a scooter, you are taking your life in your hands. In fact that stretch on West River Pkwy from Franklin to the West Bank of the U is terrible and has been for quite some time. Scenic, but I’m afraid I might lose a wheel…
You just need to get a big event scheduled in the area. 35E just south of downtown St. Paul has needed an overhaul for years. It didn’t surprise me that it’s finally getting replaced. Is it coincidence that it’s just a couple of months before the Rep. Nat’l Convention?
“You just need to get a big event scheduled in the area.”
Interesting idea. Perhaps bidding on the 2020 Olympic Games would be an effective incentive to ‘freshen up’ the local infrastructure.
I have submitted 2 pothole reports using: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/traffic/pothole.asp, and within 3-4 days, both areas were patched up. First one was at the entrance to the Hosmer library parking lot, and the second was the intersection of Chicago Ave S and 36th St.
Based on those results, I have plans to submit additional requests for roads I travel frequently, including 38th St, and also for Penn Ave near Hwy 62. Both look like the lunar landscape and almost swallow my car.
Yay for not being able to edit posts…link should be:
I agree with Eden about the condition of West River Parkway, but I will take it further. I take a motorcycle on it every morning and night from the Lake Street Bridge all the way to the UofM Bridge and it sucks the whole way. Think they will ever repave it? I noticed they just did a major pothole refilling within the last two weeks.
Roadguy, question for you. If the 35W bridge will be opening ahead of schedule, does that mean the rest of the West River Parkway will open at the same time? If you could look into that the next time you’re at the bidgesite, I would be greatly appreciative.
Evil has the touch…there was a crew patching up 38th St this afternoon.
At least all the patches and pot holes make people drive slower on the west river parkway. The Mississippi River Blvd in St. Paul is fairly smooth, and drivers regularly cruise along at 40-45.
Maybe it is all part of a test to see if lack of street maintainence is more effective than speed bumps and enforcement…..
Steve,
I have noticed that in St. Paul as well. However, unlike Minneapolis, I have noticed a lot more patrol cars monitoring the St. Paul river road.
Well i gotta say this, you dont know what bumps are until your in an 18-wheeler, the air ride helps the human body but when it comes to the vehicle itself, sometimes i wonder how the front assembly of the vehicle did not fall off from some of these bumps.
The state with the worst roads - Pennsylvania, by far, and whats weird is they also have the most/longest TOLLED roads, with another in the works…cant tell me there isnt something wrong there.
Try 60th & Nicolett - the street is nothing but one huge bitumuous patchwork. Also equally horrible are the many streets in this area where Mpls has patched the road at every joint - maybe every 40′. Bump - Bump - Bump.
A shovel full of asphalt ain’t gonna last. It’s less than a bandaid.
I find it ironic that Mpls can spend $1,000,000 for a new clock on city hall.
Joel truck driver says: “The state with the worst roads - Pennsylvania”
I’m originally from PA. I-80 was the best road - before it was completed. Once the road opened from East to West the incessant pounding by caravans of trucks destroyed it in less than 10 yrs.
DGB, its unfortunate that companies want everything shipped by truck cause its “cheaper.” we need more trains period. Yes there are some truck drivers that run overweight, but come on, the toll road I-76 is not that great-key word toll. And that has been a toll since the road was first built. What i really find sad is I-78, a road dedicated to one of our armed forces division and there is an extremely rough patch between Harrisburg and Allentown.
well unfortunately we’ll find out how I-80 will be even AFTER it becomes tolled.
Yes there are SOME decent roads in PA, just the amount of “turnpikes” versus bumps doesnt add up.
Joel, it’s not surprising about the Penna Turnpike. Toll roads and privatization are held up as a magical savior from increased fuel taxes and other sources of revenue. But time and again they have proven not to work.
It’s yet another example of why relying on “user fees” is poor public policy. We have to be smarter than this.
Joel truck driver says: “the toll road I-76 is not that great-key word toll.”
I’m not sure but I believe that the PA turnpike was the model for our interstate system. I know at one time (in the 40’s) it was the longest continous 4 lane highway in the US.
In the 50’s - 70’s it was a good road. Compared to the Conneticut Turnpike, where you had to stop every 10? miles and pay a toll. We used to call Conneticut “the toll booth state”. They didn’t allow trucks on the Meritt Parkway either.
Originally I-78 was the William Penn Highway - route 22. What always confused me was the fact that PA tried to make spur-routes like 222 to Reading, 322 to State College, 422, 622 etc. They were doing in the 30’s, what MN is trying to do now: Keep the same route number as the road went through different counties. We also have 512, 212, 312, arrrgh!!!
Since route 22 went to NYC (via NJ) it was highly traveled. However (in the 70’s) when the US re-did the NJ portion - the road became I-78. This is what killed Allentown.
Traveling route 22, it was about a 2 - 2 1/2 hr drive between Allentown and NYC. After I-78 it was about 90 minutes. This was just enough difference to make Allentown a less expensive place to live for the “lower socio-economic people” that lived in NJ. They flooded the place. The long time residents left.
The Bruce Springsteen song tells the rest of the story!
