Forum Discussion

GHOST1750's avatar
GHOST1750
Explorer
Mar 21, 2018

Rough freeways.

For all you experienced travelers which state has the roughest freeways? I haven't been in every state but many of them and I vote California.

49 Replies

  • I think a better discussion (and shorter) would be where are the good roads? Certainly not here in Mass. The bridge expansion joints rattle everything loose in the RV. As with California, monies collected in "road use taxes" on fuel are diverted to some other purpose, like hiring a state senator's BIL to work at DOT and then hiring someone who can actually do that job.

    I thought the roads in Florida and Texas were nice. In Texas, we were on a 2 lane road (US 59 towards Shreveport I think), smooth as glass and the speed limit was 70. In Mass it would have been 25 or 35 mph.

    Here on beautiful Cape Cod, they spend millions on bike paths and zero on roads.
  • As a current resident, I would like to speak to defend the condition of Michigan's roads, but I am not a liberal politician. If you live with these roads you will like them even less. Michigan has three strikes against it that the current administration is working to overcome.
    We have a freeze/thaw cycle here that is more severe than most places.
    Michigan allows trucks on the road than heavier than any other state. In spite of this some trucks still push the 175K# limit. Steel haulers moving coil for automotive used to be the real big problem as they get paid by the pound.
    Last but no means least is that the recent spate of corporate and personal bankruptcies spawned by the government manipulation of the some businesses caused a major loss of income to the state and as such many needed projects got sidetracked.
    I honestly do not driving at night, my eyes and reflexes aren't good enough to see the holes in time to avoid them.
    Recently, the states cashflow is reported to be positive and with that the administration has promised to get some of these projects underway.
    Well, until that happens I won't laugh at the "I'm not drunk, I'm dodging the potholes" bumper sticker.

    My advice, if you are coming to Michigan. make sure you have a spare tire and know how to work the tire damage warranty and only drive in daylight.

    Matt
  • I vote California-

    I hit one bump on I-15 in California north of Temecula, My wife was following the 5th wheel in her car she said all four tires on the 5th wheel came off the ground. As I was pulling onto the street we live on the right rear spring on the 5th wheel broke at the rear shackle end. I don't know if the freeway jump cause this or it was just time for the spring to go since the trailer was 20 years old. I replaced all four springs.

    On I-5 near Valencia we hit a bump and the door of the refrigerator came off. We didn't know it until we stopped a little later and had to clean up the mess.

    On I-10 near Barstow, CA I saw a semi truck pulled over just past a bad bump in the highway. He was carrying a load of 50 gallon drums in an enclosed trailer...I knew this because the trailer had bent in the middle and the sides of the trailer opened up exposing the cargo.
  • Been a number of years but the last time I drove my RV in California the roads were so rough it broke my antenna - didn't think you could break an antenna once it was down. Go figure.
  • Well,
    I can say this. We, last summer, completed a 6,500 mile trip around most of the U.S. We started in AZ and, heading north up into UT, WY, MT, ND and then heading east toward NY via all those states along the way. Then, heading south through PA, TN, AK, TX, NM and finally back into AZ. And, based on all those miles traveled, in all those states, by far, without a doubt, MICHIGAN HAS THE WORST ROADS!!!!!!!!!

    We saw in may stretches of highways/freeways, pieces of tires spread all over the place, hub caps, mud flap pieces and more. I'm surprised I still have both front windshields in our coach. Those roads were seriously bad. Now, Michigan, to us, might have the worst ones but, that's not to say that all the other states had/have velvet smooth roads, not in the least.

    I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that, for states that have much harsher winters than say, us here in the southwest, they have the conditions that will tear up roads much quicker than us. And also, they also don't have the long time frames of great weather to repair those issues, and yet put up with the day-to-day traffic as well as us long distance travelers.

    Yes, CA and it's infamous "Bullet train" is without a doubt, one seriously stupid idea. So glad we moved out.
    Scott
  • Pennsylvania will be in the top 10 because of all the freeze-thaw cycles we experience.
  • Since I live in Calif and have taken numerous car trips cross country and a few RV trips, I still won't comment on a whole state system but the worst road I have ever been on was the George Washington Bridge in New York! You not only pay an arm and a leg to cross it in an RV/toad, it was a white knuckle experience all the way. IMHO
  • I agree. All the money that used to be spent on what used to be an excellent highway system is now being diverted to the "Bullet Train to Nowhere". They've depleted every fund they can find for a train that is approaching 90 billion dollars and 7 years behind. We thought the toll roads in the midwest were the best roads we traveled.