Our huge country is returning to a symbol of an older way of life: gravel roads. Although gravel roads still exist on many backwoods roads in the U.S., the continuing economic crisis is leaving less room for re-paving. The cost of asphalt, a compound made from a petroleum-based compound mixed with rocks, has doubled over the past 10 years.
Once a sign of American progress, paved roads exploded during the 50′s and 60′s when the Interstate Highway System was built. Today’s fiscal austerity makes these roads too expensive to maintain. But experts say that gravel roads aren’t free of maintenance either. Grading and smoothing are necessities, but compared to the $2,600 per mile annual maintenance to keep up paved roads, it still might be a better alternative.
Grinding paved roads to gravel will surely dampen local businesses, preserving a more rural way of life. In North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, Ohio, gravel roads are becoming more popular. In Pennsylvania and Alabama, a cheaper form of pavement, chip and seal, is used.
While there are no plans yet for any major road, interstates and large state routes, to turn to gravel, this shows that the American way of life is returning to a time without opulence; when simplicity, hard work, and freedom defined the lives of an Average American.