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Old 09-23-2022, 07:08 PM   #1
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5 States, & 3000 miles of Horse Puckey Highways

Just got back from a 3-week trip from Indiana to Montana and back.
Nothing new to any of you who travel but I feel the need to rant about the deplorable condition of our Nation's Interstate Highways.
Let's start with Indiana, my home state, If I were to give the highway's a grade INDIANA would get a D
ILLINOIS Interstate 80 would get a D-. The section of 80 around Joliet Illinois was the worst highway we drove on. The bone jarring ride has now created squeaks in the dash of the ACE we never had before.
IOWA Interstate 80 would get a C- but the section of I 29 from Sioux City to Sioux Falls South Dakota rates a B.
SOUTH DAKOTA; Is trying to keep I 90 in decent shape large stretches have been repaved with new concrete, South Dakota rates a B.
On to WYOMING; Wyoming gets a D+. The + is only because they are trying to seal I 90. IMHO they should be repaving rather than putting down that crappy chip/seal that they were using around Sheridan. (We all love to drive on that crap when it's fresh and is a tire tread killer till it gets worn in.)
And then there is MONTANA, another D. The road surface is worn through, and we have been on rollercoasters that don't have the swoops that I 90 has.
I think if Eisenhower were alive to see his vision of a coast-to-coast Interstate Highway System in this kind of shape he would surely be pissed off!
It is a damn shame that we spend umteen thousands of dollars for motorhomes and travel trailers then have the roads of this nation beat them to a pulp!

As an aside the only reason I didn't give any an F is we are still driving on them

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Old 09-23-2022, 08:14 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by MJC62 View Post
Just got back from a 3-week trip from Indiana to Montana and back.
Nothing new to any of you who travel but I feel the need to rant about the deplorable condition of our Nation's Interstate Highways.
Let's start with Indiana, my home state, If I were to give the highway's a grade INDIANA would get a D
ILLINOIS Interstate 80 would get a D-. The section of 80 around Joliet Illinois was the worst highway we drove on. The bone jarring ride has now created squeaks in the dash of the ACE we never had before.
IOWA Interstate 80 would get a C- but the section of I 29 from Sioux City to Sioux Falls South Dakota rates a B.
SOUTH DAKOTA; Is trying to keep I 90 in decent shape large stretches have been repaved with new concrete, South Dakota rates a B.
On to WYOMING; Wyoming gets a D+. The + is only because they are trying to seal I 90. IMHO they should be repaving rather than putting down that crappy chip/seal that they were using around Sheridan. (We all love to drive on that crap when it's fresh and is a tire tread killer till it gets worn in.)
And then there is MONTANA, another D. The road surface is worn through, and we have been on rollercoasters that don't have the swoops that I 90 has.
I think if Eisenhower were alive to see his vision of a coast-to-coast Interstate Highway System in this kind of shape he would surely be pissed off!
It is a damn shame that we spend umteen thousands of dollars for motorhomes and travel trailers then have the roads of this nation beat them to a pulp!

As an aside the only reason I didn't give any an F is we are still driving on them

I agree ..my old home state montana..
We moved out to New Mexico.
Roads here not bad
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Old 09-23-2022, 08:16 PM   #3
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We've only spend $50 zillion dollars on infrastructure...what do you expect? I bet the highways China are paved with our gold.
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Old 09-23-2022, 08:27 PM   #4
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But now apparently now we are going to spend bazillions of dollars to put charging stations every 50 miles along our highways for EVs, makes perfect sense, hopefully those EVs have good suspensions!!!
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Old 09-23-2022, 08:54 PM   #5
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Beaurocracy at its finest. 20 chiefs sitting in offices trying to justify their job. Too few Indians getting it done. All governments, regardless of the level, are way too too heavy. And it gets worse. We need to pay a firm millions to study the problem!
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Old 09-24-2022, 12:14 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by MJC62 View Post
Just got back from a 3-week trip from Indiana to Montana and back.
Nothing new to any of you who travel but I feel the need to rant about the deplorable condition of our Nation's Interstate Highways.
Let's start with Indiana, my home state, If I were to give the highway's a grade INDIANA would get a D
ILLINOIS Interstate 80 would get a D-. The section of 80 around Joliet Illinois was the worst highway we drove on. The bone jarring ride has now created squeaks in the dash of the ACE we never had before.
IOWA Interstate 80 would get a C- but the section of I 29 from Sioux City to Sioux Falls South Dakota rates a B.
SOUTH DAKOTA; Is trying to keep I 90 in decent shape large stretches have been repaved with new concrete, South Dakota rates a B.
On to WYOMING; Wyoming gets a D+. The + is only because they are trying to seal I 90. IMHO they should be repaving rather than putting down that crappy chip/seal that they were using around Sheridan. (We all love to drive on that crap when it's fresh and is a tire tread killer till it gets worn in.)
And then there is MONTANA, another D. The road surface is worn through, and we have been on rollercoasters that don't have the swoops that I 90 has.
I think if Eisenhower were alive to see his vision of a coast-to-coast Interstate Highway System in this kind of shape he would surely be pissed off!
It is a damn shame that we spend umteen thousands of dollars for motorhomes and travel trailers then have the roads of this nation beat them to a pulp!

As an aside the only reason I didn't give any an F is we are still driving on them

We also live in Indiana and recently went to western Montana. I’m a bit less critical than you and would give most of the roads we traveled about a C. But I-70 (I-70 for goodness sake!) from Denver to the Kansas line was THE worst. D- or worse. It was stunning how much better the same road was as soon as we crossed into Kansas. It is disappointing that our wonderful country can’t seem to take care of its roads.
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Old 09-24-2022, 12:34 AM   #7
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We also live in Indiana and recently went to western Montana. I’m a bit less critical than you and would give most of the roads we traveled about a C. But I-70 (I-70 for goodness sake!) from Denver to the Kansas line was THE worst. D- or worse. It was stunning how much better the same road was as soon as we crossed into Kansas. It is disappointing that our wonderful country can’t seem to take care of its roads.
Despite the massive fuel taxes that are "supposed" to be used for road maintenance.
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Old 09-24-2022, 12:57 AM   #8
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We had a trip through 10 states this summer and found some good roads in all of them. We also found some horrible roads in all except Florida. I mean hours of earthquake shaking, teeth rattling highways. And very little road construction. It seems that fewer potholes are being filled. We were amazed at how well our coach held together.

Anyone know how much money was tagged for roads and bridges in the latest infrastructure legislation?
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Old 09-24-2022, 01:01 AM   #9
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I know the felling...... I'm in then middle of a 7-week trip that started in PA then off to Colorado, Utah, now Arizona and then New Mexico.

The crappy roads have been doing a number on my coach this trip....

First, it re-aggravated the front cap / cab-over attachment on my Magnitude... that Thor fixed and said would not be an issue again. Now I have to take maters in my own hands like a couple other owners did and tear apart the front cap / cab-over and use bolts and nuts instead of the crappy sheet metal screws they use.

Next, I noticed the kitchen sink was not level when my wife put the hard surface covers over it. Turns out the sink is held up to the counter top with a few wing-nuts on each bowl. They should have used Nylok nuts instead of wing-nuts or or at the very least Lock-Tite on the threads. The front bolts are easy to get to but the back ones are a bear. I'll be replacing the wing-nuts with Nyloks= nuts when I get back and have to reseal the bowl to the counter top.

Then it appears the roads have been shaking the coach so much it shook the top cover off the 360 Holding Tank Vent on the roof. I haven't been near any tree branches or anything else that could have knocked it off. I ordered a complete new vent assembly on Amazon so I can take the cover out of the kit and put it on my vent.

Finally, before I left for the trip I put sealant around all four fender flares. Thor did a terrible job sealing them at the factory. I should have removed all the old sealant and put on new sealant. But I was in a hurry and just put new sealant over the old and figure I would remove all the old sealant next Spring and do it right. Well the new sealant has cracked and pulled away from the body now from all the shaking and flexing.

I still have a couple weeks left and a couple thousand more miles so who knows what else I will be repairing after this trip.

I'd like to know where all my infrastructure tax dollars have gone. I'm sure not seeing it being used for anything important!
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Old 09-24-2022, 01:30 AM   #10
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The folks who pay handsome "donations" to your "elected representative crooks" fly in corporate jets... why spend money on something they don't even use? But notice how buttery smooth the roads between the financial districts in cities and the airport are... I'll stop there so I don't get demonetized...
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Old 09-24-2022, 03:59 AM   #11
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I will disagree with the review of the highways in South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. I spent July and August driving from Central Texas to Missoula and back. The interstate highways were far superior in those three states than any interstate in the South. The interstates here in Texas are horrible at best, but even worse in Louisiana and Mississippi. Whoever is in charge of the highway department in Louisiana belongs in prison.
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Old 09-24-2022, 12:09 PM   #12
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Worst I've encountered were in TN. Best in FL. Some states have the advantage of well-drained soil and few seasonal freezes (FL). Most states have a mix of good sections that have been recently redone, mediocre sections, and bad sections that are likely to be redone soon. TN seemed to be letting them go way too long.
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Old 09-24-2022, 12:10 PM   #13
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No different in Canada. We have been on a loop from Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and now Quebec. Just like the US some roads are good and some are terrible. They have even higher taxes than we do but their big problem is not enough people for such a large expanse of territory. There are more people in California than in all of Canada and we all know that companies pay very little taxes.
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Old 09-25-2022, 12:57 AM   #14
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I will disagree with the review of the highways in South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. I spent July and August driving from Central Texas to Missoula and back. The interstate highways were far superior in those three states than any interstate in the South. The interstates here in Texas are horrible at best, but even worse in Louisiana and Mississippi. Whoever is in charge of the highway department in Louisiana belongs in prison.

We went to Missoula in June to visit our son. Isn’t it a lovely city is a beautiful place! Montana roads were pretty good.
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Old 09-25-2022, 02:35 AM   #15
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We went to Missoula in June to visit our son. Isn’t it a lovely city is a beautiful place! Montana roads were pretty good.
Missoula is pretty cool. The place we stayed, Jim and Mary's, was real nice too.
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Old 09-25-2022, 03:45 AM   #16
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Florida has best and Louisiana worst roads in my experience. In fairness, building roads over swamp like much of I-10 can’t be easy or cheap. Regardless, poor Louisiana I-10 conditions, which I drove a couple of times a year traveling between Texas and Florida, played a significant role in downsizing from Class C to a van. E-350 van rides harsher than a car, but nothing like my Class C. At times it seemed upper cabinets were about to pull off walls, though no real damage occurred. Noise and rattling due to poor roads made owning the larger motorhome not worth it for the way we mostly tour.

Other than Louisiana I won’t complain much, except maybe for parts of I-40 in Tennessee.
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Old 09-25-2022, 07:23 AM   #17
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Florida has best and Louisiana worst roads in my experience. In fairness, building roads over swamp like much of I-10 can’t be easy or cheap. Regardless, poor Louisiana I-10 conditions, which I drove a couple of times a year traveling between Texas and Florida, played a significant role in downsizing from Class C to a van. E-350 van rides harsher than a car, but nothing like my Class C. At times it seemed upper cabinets were about to pull off walls, though no real damage occurred. Noise and rattling due to poor roads made owning the larger motorhome not worth it for the way we mostly tour.

Other than Louisiana I won’t complain much, except maybe for parts of I-40 in Tennessee.

I 95 Florida?
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Old 09-25-2022, 02:13 PM   #18
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Most of I-95 is comparatively in great shape as far as I’m concerned, with few exceptions where there is major construction for road expansion; like around Ft Lauderdale. I normally take Florida Turnpike traveling North-South (also in great condition), so not as familiar with I-95 further north. As I recall, a couple of years ago there were a few rough areas between Daytona and Jacksonville, but it was limited distance and not as bad as I-10 can get in Louisiana, or I-10 in Texas between Beaumont and Houston.
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Old 09-28-2022, 06:21 PM   #19
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I've been through most of the states mentioned here. I have to agree with comments regarding S. Dakoda. Very nice highways especially around Spearfish, Sturges part of the state.
However, the absolute worst roadways I've traveled are right here in CA (F-). They are the worst anywhere. The 5, 405, 15 - all of the main arteries are shit! Avoid this state at all costs!
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Old 09-28-2022, 06:23 PM   #20
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Cool Driving Conditions are deplorable . . . .IF

Quote:
Originally Posted by MJC62 View Post
Just got back from a 3-week trip from Indiana to Montana and back.
Nothing new to any of you who travel but I feel the need to rant about the deplorable condition of our Nation's Interstate Highways.
Let's start with Indiana, my home state, If I were to give the highway's a grade INDIANA would get a D
ILLINOIS Interstate 80 would get a D-. The section of 80 around Joliet Illinois was the worst highway we drove on. The bone jarring ride has now created squeaks in the dash of the ACE we never had before.
IOWA Interstate 80 would get a C- but the section of I 29 from Sioux City to Sioux Falls South Dakota rates a B.
SOUTH DAKOTA; Is trying to keep I 90 in decent shape large stretches have been repaved with new concrete, South Dakota rates a B.
On to WYOMING; Wyoming gets a D+. The + is only because they are trying to seal I 90. IMHO they should be repaving rather than putting down that crappy chip/seal that they were using around Sheridan. (We all love to drive on that crap when it's fresh and is a tire tread killer till it gets worn in.)
And then there is MONTANA, another D. The road surface is worn through, and we have been on rollercoasters that don't have the swoops that I 90 has.
I think if Eisenhower were alive to see his vision of a coast-to-coast Interstate Highway System in this kind of shape he would surely be pissed off!
It is a damn shame that we spend umteen thousands of dollars for motorhomes and travel trailers then have the roads of this nation beat them to a pulp!

As an aside the only reason I didn't give any an F is we are still driving on them
We just completed a 5,700+ mile road trip from Blaine Washington to Michigan City Indiana, on to Heber Springs Arkansas, then to Pueblo West Colorado, through Yellowstone and then back to Blaine (August 14 thru Sep 16) and avoided Interstate highways at all cost . . . .but driving according to conditions was paramount to a safe trip and memorable experience.
During this trip we drove an average of 5 MPH slower than previous trips (same destinations along the way) and averaged 1+ MPG better than previous trips.
Coffee tasted better as well . . . . more time to sip, savor, and enjoy!
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