With more than 4 million miles of roadways stretching across America, it takes quite a bit of maintenance to keep these highways and byways in good standing. For example, it costs roughly $1.2 million dollars per mile to repave a 4-lane road. With painfully little money available for fixing infrastructure, certain cities, like Montpelier, VT, are turning to an alternative: un-paving.

In 2009, after a flood of complaints to fix pothole-covered Bliss Road, Montpelier decided that with an annual budget of only $1.3 million for road repairs, repaving just wasn't an option for them. Instead they showed up with a "reclaimer," which crushed the already cracked pavement and smoothed out the road. They covered the dirt and gravel with geotextile, a fabric that absorbs stress and aids in drainage. The decision to un-pave reportedly saved them approximately $120,000.

According to the National Highway Cooperative Highway Research program, Vermont is one of 27 states known to have unpaved roads. It's estimated that there are now at least 1.6 million miles of unpaved roads in the U.S. Un-paving may be saving the cities money, but the cost is falling onto the drivers. The wear and tear on the cars and their tires traveling on gravel and dirt roads is much higher than when driving on asphalt. There is also the concern of additional dust coming off the roads and into the air.

Assuming the dirt roads are maintained properly, they are safer than driving on asphalt roads filled with potholes. The dust issues can even be calmed down by applying a mixture of calcium chloride, vegetable oils, animal fats and organic petroleum.

While the idea of more and more of America's roads becoming unpaved dirt roads may seem unconventional and a step backwards, it's doesn't have to be permanent. If the cities do finally find the money—or if residents are suddenly willing to pay higher taxes to avoid driving on dirt—then these gravel roads could be repaved someday.

Source: Wired

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