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Posted by David Sherman [24.32.202.83] on Monday, April 26, 2010 at 17:33:24 :
In Reply to: Re: gas vs diesel posted by David [128.242.106.124] on Monday, April 26, 2010 at 15:12:41 :
The same thing has happened with asphalt. A retired highway engineer tells me that they used to be able to get good long-lasting flexible asphalt direct from the refinery for road paving, but now the refiners take every bit of better stuff out of it so that what's left is so dry and brittle (little more than petroleum coke) that the highway engineers have to specify that additives (also bought from the oil companies) be added back into the asphalt in order to give it any kind of decent life.
When we're so short on good oil that we're now making oil out of tar, it's no wonder that good old natural tar is too valuable to spread on roads any more. I was just reading somewhere how gravel roads are making a comeback, and I think that trend is bound to continue. I've certainly seen a lot of formerly paved roads, especially county and Forest Service roads that are being allowed to revert to gravel. In most of the country there's nothing wrong with a well-maintained gravel road, the key being to keep a good crown and ditches on it, and have grader operators who know what they're doing.
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