MM-you must not get down to the Detroit area often. There are plenty of 11-axle steel haulers and gravel trains down here. That doesn't even account for all the 8-9 axle trucks. There are about 4000 trucks licensed in MI with a GVW of at least 115K. I'm not anti-truck since I used to drive one but these heavyweights have to go. Check out page 2 below.
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_013-4-16TruckWeightsMichigan_418609_7.pdf
MidlandMike Another problem is all the salt they use on the roads with all the lake effect snow. Salt attacks bridges, culverts, concrete re-rod, etc.
NY went to almost pure salt on the roads virtually overnight in 1980, when it was decreed that all of the roads leading to the Olympics would be snow and ice free.
Still, while we have spring problems with potholes, most all of our roads are good for the speed limit and then some. And, in my area, lake effect can be measured in feet in a single snowfall.
I visited my old neighborhood in MI last summer - I'm not sure that the street has been repaved since I left in 1968. Around here, it's unusual for a given stretch of road (state, county, or town) to go more than 10 years or so without at least being capped...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
On the south shore of Lake Superior, lake effect snow is distinctly different from Minnesota snow. There, you get distinct storms every few weeks or so, and maybe some small amounts in between. Along Lake Superior the lake effect is like a conveyor belt continuously delivering snow at an average rate of about 1-5" per day. Winter is like one continuous storm that lasts 7 months. This continuous snowfall is occasionally punctuated by a blockbuster snowstorm that delivers 2-3 feet. Seasonal accumulation is around 30 feet on average.
Because of the continuous snow, roads are salted every day. So all highways, smaller roads, and city streets are always covered with a thick wet layer of salty sand all the time. Vehicle rust and snow removal are a big part of the cost of living in this snow belt.
Backshop MM-you must not get down to the Detroit area often. There are plenty of 11-axle steel haulers and gravel trains down here. That doesn't even account for all the 8-9 axle trucks. There are about 4000 trucks licensed in MI with a GVW of at least 115K. I'm not anti-truck since I used to drive one but these heavyweights have to go. Check out page 2 below. https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_013-4-16TruckWeightsMichigan_418609_7.pdf
I usually bypass Detroit by taking US-23. I did mention bulk trucks which include gravel trains which we have in northern Mich. I went to the referenced website and noted "it is estimated that under 5% of all trucks using Michigan roads carry more than 80,000 pounds when actually operated." I have reservations about heavy trucks, but a recent article in the Sunday Deroit News/Free Press shows that it is a bit more complicated.
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/04/19/heavy-truck-damage-michigan-roads/3474156002/
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