Oh, The Pain! The Pain!

[Patrick]

Sorry for the Dr. Smith reference, but I need to vent- my municipality (the one I work for) is in the process of a chip and seal on the road I normally use for my short commute to work. The started this Friday, by putting down a coat of gravel (yes, gravel). Essentially, tons of loose pebbles. I discovered this when I picked up my car (got some PM work done) and entered the road as the shortest route home, since it was threatening to seriously rain.

I turned onto the road, discovered every inch I moved kicked up gravel, and I found myself experiencing actual pain hearing it hit the underside of the Z06! I was wincing in pain at what my ride was going through! I quickly got off the road and took a more circuitous route home, making it just in time to avoid the thunderstorm.

The boys in Public Works left the road like this though the weekend, meaning I was not about to travel on this road. Today, at work, one of the streets engineers from Public Works came up to me and advised me not to use this road for at least the next couple of weeks. The next stage in the chip in seal process is the laying down of tar-infused asphalt mix on the road that has a tendency to be picked up by tires and stick to the bodies of cars. And because of the heat we've had here locally, he says that to totally cure on the road surface, it will need probably two weeks! At least they had the decency to give me a heads up about this.

The problem with this is that my alternate route to work forces me through a heavily residential area, then through downtown. So I'm having to deal with huge waits from commuters, and the frequent stop and go you get going through our bustling little downtown with people darting across the street without warning. It's making for frustrating driving, and while I know I'm saving my Z06 the nasty asphalt additions to the body, it isn't making for much fun to drive.

Anyone else have experiences with unfriendly road construction and the inconvenience it's caused you? I'd like to hear that I'm not alone.

-Patrick

 

[Rain]

One lane closure on Popps Ferry Rd. from Sabrina Dr. to the Bridge beginning Wednesday, July 14, 2004 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00p.m. through Monday, July 19, 2004.

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*Popps Ferry Rd. from Bridge to N. Country Club Rd. will have possible traffic lane shifts beginning Wednesday, July 14th through Wednesday, July 28, 2004.
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*Popps Ferry Rd. from Camp Wilkes Rd. to Jam Ln. will have traffic lane shifts beginning Wednesday, July 14, 2004 through Saturday, July 17, 2004.
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**Popps Ferry Rd.Ý from the bridge to Sunkist will have one lane closures beginning Wednesday, July 21, 2004 starting at 8:00am.
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[size=-1]www.biloxi.ms.us/hotnews/ HotNewsImages/PoppsFerryRdProp.pdf[/size]

 

[Z_OH_6]

Anyone else have experiences with unfriendly road construction and the inconvenience it's caused you? I'd like to hear that I'm not alone.

-Patrick

Patrick, Rain, I feel your pain. I hate to drive over a dust patch or worse, a wet spot in the road. A nightmare would be to run over bubblegum without seeing it. Oh, the agony of having to clean it off of the wheel wells, tires or side sail panels. I'm fortunate that I don't have to drive it to work, a company car suffers that injustice. But I hate the sound of that loose gravel hitting even that car let alone the Z. I can't wait for the summer to be over so that they stop all the stupid road construction. My biggest gripe is tearing up perfectly good roads just to keep the roads apportionment money flowing; use it or lose it in other words. Aarrgggghhhh, now ya got me hoppin' mad too! :L

 

[Patrick]

Patrick, Rain, I feel your pain. I hate to drive over a dust patch or worse, a wet spot in the road. A nightmare would be to run over bubblegum without seeing it. Oh, the agony of having to clean it off of the wheel wells, tires or side sail panels. I'm fortunate that I don't have to drive it to work, a company car suffers that injustice. But I hate the sound of that loose gravel hitting even that car let alone the Z. I can't wait for the summer to be over so that they stop all the stupid road construction. My biggest gripe is tearing up perfectly good roads just to keep the roads apportionment money flowing; use it or lose it in other words. Aarrgggghhhh, now ya got me hoppin' mad too! :L

Do I detect a little bit of sarcasm in your post, Z_OH_6? I mean, come on, I drive a black vette- a patch of dust on the road torpedoes hours of invested time in washing it! :L

Seriously, aren't you at all concerned when you find the road you're traveling on has suddenly gone into the construction cone-zone, and you find yourself driving on gravel? Don't you feel at all concerned when all those tiny rocks start getting kicked up at the underbody?

If not, more power to you. But now that we're out of winter, my Z06 is showing some scars on the back side of the wheel wells where the sand and gravel they put down on the roads has scratched it up. And no, I can't leave it in the garage for the winter: the Z06 is my daily driver.

-Patrick

 

[Piet]

The city of Edmonton is trying a Tar and Gravel approach.


Thet fill the cracks with tar.... throw down lots of loose gravel.... Instant Road patch. (the theory is that the gravel will eventually embed itself in the tar)

If the gravel does not get you... the tar will.

 

[Z_OH_6]

Do I detect a little bit of sarcasm in your post, Z_OH_6? I mean, come on, I drive a black vette- a patch of dust on the road torpedoes hours of invested time in washing it! :L

Seriously, aren't you at all concerned when you find the road you're traveling on has suddenly gone into the construction cone-zone, and you find yourself driving on gravel? Don't you feel at all concerned when all those tiny rocks start getting kicked up at the underbody?

If not, more power to you. But now that we're out of winter, my Z06 is showing some scars on the back side of the wheel wells where the sand and gravel they put down on the roads has scratched it up. And no, I can't leave it in the garage for the winter: the Z06 is my daily driver.

-Patrick

Patrick,
No, no, no, I'm really that pathetic! I swear to you, if I'm driving down a two-lane road (happens a lot here in east TN) and I spot a wet patch up ahead on my side and a car coming in the opposite direction, I'll slow way down or even stop until the other car passes so that I may go over on his side of the road just to avoid the dampness. A clean fanatic? Yep, dat be me! :L

 

[c5vetter]

talk about being anal! enjoy the damned car! can't wait for the new "Z" to hit the streets.

 

[MsSchroder]

I feel your pain.
That gravel is the worst sound. Like fingernails on a chalkboard.

As for the tar: at least your car is black. I spent hours one day cleaning little globs and long threads of tar off mine after an excursion on a road undergoing a little DOT-Existence-Justification-Project.

And now I can't get Dr. Smith's whining little voice out of my head :L

Tammy

 

[reefdiver]

They do that to various roads here too. I absolutely hate it, and really don't understand it either because they do it to the SAME roads EVERY year !!! ad

 

[Chas]

Painting stripes here....

Its the time of year when they spray the lines down miles of road....what a mess that makes.

Chas

 

[Z_OH_6]

talk about being anal! enjoy the damned car! can't wait for the new "Z" to hit the streets.

Oh I do, I do, I just hate to get it dirty. I, too, am looking forward to seeing the new Z. I'm afraid I have a preconceived notion that I won't like it after getting so used to the C5's. Of course, if it has 500 stallions under the hood, that may change quickly!

 

[Patrick]

The city of Edmonton is trying a Tar and Gravel approach.


Thet fill the cracks with tar.... throw down lots of loose gravel.... Instant Road patch. (the theory is that the gravel will eventually embed itself in the tar)

If the gravel does not get you... the tar will.

Piet, this is essentially the same technique they're using locally. They put down the gravel, and allow it to stay there for a days, the theory being that the cars themselves will drive the gravel into the road base. Then they come back and lay down the new surfacing (a tar and asphalt mixture.)

Now, the problem with new asphalt is that it needs time to cure, or you end up, as Tammy pointed out, getting globs of the stuff stuck to your car. You see, most local governments do this resurfacing in the summer, when the cure times are at their worst due to the heat.

I guess I'll just have to get used to driving the long way to work, and dealing with the extra stop and go traffic.

-Patrick

 

[mqqn]

Hi CORed91 -

I too suffer the pain of semi-annual sealcoating of the aggregate roadways in my rural community. I will drive 15 miles out of the way to avoid the fresh sealcoat (pea-gravel is another common term for this crap).

It is normally a one day - hit and run type of affair - I leave for work and when I return, viola! Sealcoat for the last 5 miles of my trip...

The last time they did this, I got a nice crack in my trucks windshield...

The worst part is not the rocks YOUR car kicks up, it is the id-jots in the other lane that are going 70 MPH and not running in the "tracks" where the rocks have been packed down - plus- when one of these tar-covered rocks lands on your hood, it'll stick there due to the fresh tar. Nice...:eyerole

Now that you mention it, my road is about due...Luckily, it is a very heavily travelled route, and it is usually ony a three to five day wait for the rocks to be packed down enough to drive the vette.

best regards -

mqqn

 

[theblackvette]

I think this would be appropriate for the thread in regards to its title!

Agree?????????

 

[Z_OH_6]

Agree?????????

Oooooooooow! Now see, that's what I'm talking about. That's not my car and I have no earthly idea whose it is, but it hurts just to look at it! Oh, the poor baby!

 

[theblackvette]

How about this one?

Will someone please close my door????????

 

[theblackvette]

How is this for pain? OOOOOOOOO

What do you think of this Z06?????

Slong????????????? Is that you??????????

 

[Rain]

that part of the air intake laying on the ground.. ?

They gotta fix that - EVERYTHING is spose to stay in the vette on impact!

Right there at the dealership... at least it wasnt a long walk back to work! LOL!

 

[Blade]

So much for driving on Pot hole roads, what about driving on grassy banks lined with trees:

What do you think of this Z06?????

Slong????????????? Is that you??????????

 

[slong]

O my god!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!