Uncomfortable Trip I-10 Arizona to New orleans

no you are right. The interstate roads are deteriorating rapidly and many secondary roads are also. There tends to be construction around bigger towns/cities and that also adds to the problem.

Stay on the US and State Highways...more to see, more to do, slower pace, all equals more fun and relaxation. Roads are much much better than the Interstates...Too much traffic and too many trucks on the Interstates, beating up the road surface and the tax dollars can't keep up.....Dennis

On our recent trip on I-10 in Louisiana, I slowed down for the rough parts and the ride got smoother (with flashers on). When conditions improved, I sped back up.
Neither the wife & I or the rig suffered.
Pat

On concrete with slabs separated by expansion joints ride roughness is very much speed dependent. When they cover that structure with asphalt, it will feel smooth for a year or two before settling into the underlying structure, and in 3-5 years starts coming off in chunks.

You must have crossed I-80 in a good year. I've been on it when it has been pretty rough.

" Maybe it is common knowledge, but we were surprised at the roughness of i-10 in many sections. Made for a pretty uncomfortable trip across the country. "

Yes, that portion of the I-10 has been like that for several years, especially the La section.

I have come to the same conclusion as Executive. It is not just I-10 but interstates nationwide.

I would have been shocked if in 4 days of travel you wouldn't have experienced rough highways. Our tax dollars if spent at home could correct a lot of the issues.

They have a machine that can take bumpy Interstate and grinding it smooth as glass(is what the surface feels like when driven over). They have used it on parts of I-35 and I-44 in OKC.

Might be called micro milling:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavement_milling

One kind of roughness is the result of slabs tilting. Imagine driving along a saw tooth. If the periodicity of the slabs matches your suspension (and speed) the bounce can be extreme. Heavy truck traffic is the main culprit, along with inadequate design in the first place. Tires dropping off one high edge just tilt the next slab more.

Grinding it smooth and overlaying with asphalt is a quick, but temporary fix. It's more costly (and traffic disrupting) to install joining dowels between slabs to keep them in line. It's even more costly to tear out the old slabs entirely, and rebuild the road.

Replacing whole sections is easiest when they can divert traffic over to the otherside. I've driven sections of freeway in Montana where they did that. But in urban areas that is difficult, due to heavy traffic, and frequent ramps. There they tend to work on a just a lane or two at a time, and often at night (or weekends) to minimize traffic disruption.

Be sure and check tightness on all your water line connections throughout/under your MH. Two years ago I experienced some very rough riding interstate, and when I arrive at my over night stay I had a water leak near my water pump due to a connection that had loosened that day.