I'm a firm believer that Tar and chips should be outlawed, I've had the same experience every year for the past 3-4 years. It's like riding on gravel at first, then after the chips wash away, the grooves from the tar jets make your bike dance around under you. And it sucks as a paving method, the potholes are back in under a year. I keep meaning to send a crackpot letter to my PA legislators, I think it's time. Now why doesn't ABATE get involved with that issue, it's definitely a safety matter.
Road Conditions
Good old PA. Went out for a ride on Saturday. About two miles into the ride, I turned onto a freshly tar and chipped road. No signs, no warning, no nothing. Funny thing is, the whole road wasn't done. They waited until the road hit a down hill stretch and made a sharp left hand turn going across a very narrow bridge and decided to repave that section! That was fun, loose stones, fresh tar and no warning. After I changed my shorts and proceeded on I turned onto another road that was in pretty poor condition. You know the kind of road I'm talking about - that kind that every 30 feet or so have those bumps that heave up and crack the road in a horizontal pattern. Kind of natures way of putting a sharp little speed bump every 30 feet. You wear yourself out trying to hang on to the handlebars. Got to love Pennsylvania roads!
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I did a ride up 144 with a couple guys Saturday. The stretch going to Renovo was real good I felt. The stretch after Renovo was rough. One of the roads here they did the ol' tar and chip to I ended up hitting today. they only did about a mile or so.
G
BOO Pennsylvania
I have heard stories of graft, kickbacks, etc, but don't know if that is true or not.
Another thing I really disliked on the Iron Butt run was that PA did not follow the rest of the interstate system in numbering their exits. Exit 4 might be 20 miles from exit 5. We were running on reserve on the pike and not sure how far we could make it then discovered we were locked in on the hiway/tollway and the next exit was 20 miles. Of course there were no shoulders on the darn hiway either in the event we did run out of gas and needed to get off the road.
Like you, I am not a fan of PA DOT.
ride safe & long,
Colorado Fats
Yeah, what is with Pennsylvania, not only your issue but the entire road system? I went thru PA several years ago (1997) and damn near tore my motorhome apart from pot holes, debri in the road, swells, etc. A couple years later (1999) I road through PA on an Iron Butt ride and found similar roads and a lot of hiway construction going on. It was a real terror at night! But since then I have not seen any real results or bettering of roads in general.Good old PA. Went out for a ride on Saturday. About two miles into the ride, I turned onto a freshly tar and chipped road. No signs, no warning, no nothing. Funny thing is, the whole road wasn't done. They waited until the road hit a down hill stretch and made a sharp left hand turn going across a very narrow bridge and decided to repave that section! That was fun, loose stones, fresh tar and no warning. After I changed my shorts and proceeded on I turned onto another road that was in pretty poor condition. You know the kind of road I'm talking about - that kind that every 30 feet or so have those bumps that heave up and crack the road in a horizontal pattern. Kind of natures way of putting a sharp little speed bump every 30 feet. You wear yourself out trying to hang on to the handlebars. Got to love Pennsylvania roads!
I have heard stories of graft, kickbacks, etc, but don't know if that is true or not.
Another thing I really disliked on the Iron Butt run was that PA did not follow the rest of the interstate system in numbering their exits. Exit 4 might be 20 miles from exit 5. We were running on reserve on the pike and not sure how far we could make it then discovered we were locked in on the hiway/tollway and the next exit was 20 miles. Of course there were no shoulders on the darn hiway either in the event we did run out of gas and needed to get off the road.
Like you, I am not a fan of PA DOT.
ride safe & long,
Colorado Fats
I believe that "tar and chip" paving is unsafe for everyone, including cars, but especially bikes. A few years back, I tried to turn at a intersection that had been freshly tarred and chipped. I slid the entire width of the intersection (after dumping the bike), and only stopped when I hit the curb. I couldn't have been going more than 15 mph. Lots of damage and road rash.
Rocksolid
RocksolidG
Sounds like you were on I-80, which formerly had the reputation of being the worst interstate in the country. It's been fixed up mostly and isn't quite as bad as it used to be. PA has renumbered its exits, so that's now standard. No shoulders could have been the Turnpike though also. It's always under construction or in bad shape.Yeah, what is with Pennsylvania, not only your issue but the entire road system? I went thru PA several years ago (1997) and damn near tore my motorhome apart from pot holes, debri in the road, swells, etc. A couple years later (1999) I road through PA on an Iron Butt ride and found similar roads and a lot of hiway construction going on. It was a real terror at night! But since then I have not seen any real results or bettering of roads in general.
I have heard stories of graft, kickbacks, etc, but don't know if that is true or not.
Another thing I really disliked on the Iron Butt run was that PA did not follow the rest of the interstate system in numbering their exits. Exit 4 might be 20 miles from exit 5. We were running on reserve on the pike and not sure how far we could make it then discovered we were locked in on the hiway/tollway and the next exit was 20 miles. Of course there were no shoulders on the darn hiway either in the event we did run out of gas and needed to get off the road.
Like you, I am not a fan of PA DOT.
ride safe & long,
Colorado Fats
I drove from Kansas City to Wasnington, D.C. many times, and I always marveled at having to pay to drive on the Penn Turnpike, and it was the worst road during the entire trip. Anymore, I go to WAshington, PA, turn south on 75, and take 68 over to I-70. It's much better road and much prettier. You're right, PA has the worst roads in the nation.
COFats - PA roads do suck. No doubt about it. We hear all the excuses about how many miles of roads PA has in relationship to other states and the fact that we live in the frost belt. In other words, we get a lot of freezing and thawing and that creates the cracks, heaving pavement, and potholes. I don't know if I buy most of that though. It seems other states have similar conditions and their roads are much better. I do hate tar and chip roads though. If it's fresh when you drive through it in your car you are going to be in for a major cleaning job. When it's fresh and you ride through it on your bike, it's a major safety hazard. What really pisses me off though is the lack of signage warning me on Saturday. Luckily I was riding slowly and made it through without incident. I had my wife on the back at the time - that would not have been a good scene.
G
It was I 70
Like you I don't buy the climate thing, The only thing that seemed to change during our ride was the State line. Pa's neighbor states somehow must not have the same climate/weather?
Be careful on your roads and...
Ride safe & long,
Colorado Fats
All my trips East through PA in the past have been on I70/Turnpike. To pay to drive on such rotten roads just jerked my chain. Glad to hear they renumbered the exits though.COFats - PA roads do suck. No doubt about it. We hear all the excuses about how many miles of roads PA has in relationship to other states and the fact that we live in the frost belt. In other words, we get a lot of freezing and thawing and that creates the cracks, heaving pavement, and potholes. I don't know if I buy most of that though. It seems other states have similar conditions and their roads are much better. I do hate tar and chip roads though. If it's fresh when you drive through it in your car you are going to be in for a major cleaning job. When it's fresh and you ride through it on your bike, it's a major safety hazard. What really pisses me off though is the lack of signage warning me on Saturday. Luckily I was riding slowly and made it through without incident. I had my wife on the back at the time - that would not have been a good scene.
Like you I don't buy the climate thing, The only thing that seemed to change during our ride was the State line. Pa's neighbor states somehow must not have the same climate/weather?
Be careful on your roads and...
Ride safe & long,
Colorado Fats
Tar and chipped roads?
Are they repaired by the Amish and used for horse and buggy travel?
Are they repaired by the Amish and used for horse and buggy travel?
G
No, the Amish build things to last. These are done by cheap ass politicians who can claim that they paved the road without actually spending enough money to do so.Tar and chipped roads?
Are they repaired by the Amish and used for horse and buggy travel?
G
In defense of PA roads, most trucks going to or from anywhere in the country to the northeast go through PA, I'd bet we have some of the highest truck traffic in the country and most of them don't pay PA taxes. So the state is at the mercy of whatever the feds deem to budget for them.
Uesque, those same truck go through Kansas City on I-70, and our roads are MUCH better than Pa's. So are Illinois' and Indiana's. I've taken I-70 from the west side of Colorado all the way to the east coast, and in Pa, the road goes to hell, no polite way of saying it. There's no excuse for that. Other states maintain their roads, so Pa can do the same, ESPECIALLY if they make us pay for its use.
G
Chicago
Ride safe & long,
Colorado Fats
Interstates around Chicago are terrible too! Been through that area in cars and M-Home, once I got east of Chi town, stopped to see if my vehicle still had most all its parts and pieces. Also, unfortunately hit Chicago around rush hour, those drivers are CRAZY, perhaps HOMICIDAL!Uesque, those same truck go through Kansas City on I-70, and our roads are MUCH better than Pa's. So are Illinois' and Indiana's. I've taken I-70 from the west side of Colorado all the way to the east coast, and in Pa, the road goes to hell, no polite way of saying it. There's no excuse for that. Other states maintain their roads, so Pa can do the same, ESPECIALLY if they make us pay for its use.
Ride safe & long,
Colorado Fats
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