Engineer told bosses of thin asphalt
Repairing cracks and holes could cost $10 million
PIKEVILLE (The News & Observer) - Wendi Johnson, a Department of Transportation engineer, warned department officials in 2003 and 2004 that the 5.2 inches of asphalt they planned to use on Interstate 795 would be too thin -- and too weak.
Cracks and potholes sprouted in northern Wayne County near Pikeville last spring, just 16 months after traffic started rolling down the new four-lane freeway between I-95 at Wilson and U.S. 70 at Goldsboro.
The asphalt was expected to bear cars and trucks for 15 years. Now DOT officials are weighing repairs for I-795 that could cost between $1.6 million and $10 million. They have not determined the extent of I-795's pavement failure or found its cause, but they have tentatively agreed on a remedy:
Thicker asphalt.
PIKEVILLE (The News & Observer) - Wendi Johnson, a Department of Transportation engineer, warned department officials in 2003 and 2004 that the 5.2 inches of asphalt they planned to use on Interstate 795 would be too thin -- and too weak.
Cracks and potholes sprouted in northern Wayne County near Pikeville last spring, just 16 months after traffic started rolling down the new four-lane freeway between I-95 at Wilson and U.S. 70 at Goldsboro.
The asphalt was expected to bear cars and trucks for 15 years. Now DOT officials are weighing repairs for I-795 that could cost between $1.6 million and $10 million. They have not determined the extent of I-795's pavement failure or found its cause, but they have tentatively agreed on a remedy:
Thicker asphalt.
posted by BP News Bureau | 11:36 AM
1 Comments:
I live in Virginia, where our Department of Transportation has been a disaster for as long as I can remember. I had always believed my neighbors to the south had got it right--spend the money up front to provide good quality highways and avoid the constant repairs that plague my home state.
Now I read, to my immense disappointment, that the upper management in NCDOT suffers from the same short-sighted decision-making. Save a penny now, even if it costs a dime later.
Sad ... very sad.
Ken
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