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Winter 2011-2012 in the Central U.S. – and the Potholes to Come December 2011
As winter settles in, it is anyone’s guess as to whether the weather will meet expectations. But as sure as there will be cold, snow, sleet and eventually, a thaw, there is one prediction that is a safe bet: there will be potholes.
A severe period of cold and snow is predicted for the upper Midwest, including storms expected to hit Chicago, Indianapolis, Omaha, Nebraska and of course Buffalo, New York. AccuWeather.com predicted in October 2011 that in terms of temperatures, Minneapolis will get the “worst of winter’s cold alone.” The meteorological site further predicts, “bitterly cold blasts of arctic air are expected to invade the northern Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes in December through January.”
Corrugated Street: The Problem with Railroad Track Level Crossings November 2011
In cities, counties and rural areas where roads have recently received a nice, smooth resurfacing of clean asphalt, one problem for motorists still remains. It’s rough railroad crossings, the jarring experience of passing over the damaging, uneven surfaces immediately surrounding railway lines.
Whether that crossing is at-grade or slightly elevated, it appears to be a cruel joke. The car or truck might be traveling at a good clip, with no reason to break for the tracks because there are no red flashing signals, lowered gates or trains within sight or earshot. Still, the driver has to break on the approach because his or her vehicle actually risks damage from the road assault. Irregular pavement breaks might cause a three, four or even five-inch step for the wheels to climb. This can flatten tires, wreck the front end of the car and weaken brakes and suspension systems.
October Snowstorm an Early Warning – About Potholes November 2011
The record level of snowfall along the eastern corridor at the end of October 2011 caused enough damage on its own. Millions of homes and businesses went without electrical power as a result of downed power lines. As fall turns into winter, we’re reminded that where nature intersects with civilization, man-made things have a tendency to fall apart.
This snowstorm did the region the disfavor of arriving while the leaves where still on the trees. Those leaves caught more of the wet snow, which then burdened branches that broke and fell on electrical power lines. The lines broke and power was cut off on a massive scale: 830,000 customers in Connecticut were out at the peak, as were 483,000 in Massachusetts, 380,000 in New Jersey and 300,000 in New York State. In Maine, 160,000 customers lacked electricity, as did 315,000 in New Hampshire, 43,000 in Maryland, 200,000 in Pennsylvania, 20,000 in Rhode Island and 7,500 in Vermont.
Salem, Ohio Pothole Once Famous, Now Fixed October 2011
The way money is allocated in most cash-strapped cities, counties and townships across America, it often seems like a matter of splitting hairs. But the Butcher Road Pothole of 2011 in Columbiana County, Ohio really came down to splitting a road. All in the name of fiscal responsibility.
A brouhaha erupted in the summer, when a pothole plaguing motorists seemed to be getting bigger while it was officially ignored. Citizens complained to the city of Salem, which owned one side of the road, and Perry Township, which borders the city from the opposite side of the road. Apparently, where the precise dividing line fell – and in whose jurisdiction the pothole was located – was not absolutely clear.
Driving Tips to Avoid Potholes – And Rising Tire Prices October 2011
In case you didn’t like potholes in the winter of 2010-2011, there is a reason you’ll dislike potholes even more in the winter of 2011-2012.
Here’s why: Potholes destroy tires, and the price of tires is rising sharply due to a supply shortage of natural rubber (yes, it still comes from trees, mostly in southeast Asia) and increasing demand from China, where car ownership is undergoing double-digit growth. Petroleum is also used in tire manufacturing, adding further to cost volatility. Blow out just one tire on one pothole and expect to pay out more – one major tire manufacturer increased prices three times in 2011 alone.
NYC Mystery: Not a Pothole, a “Street Defect” October 2011
In a city like New York there is a subterranean world. Pet alligators once flushed down toilets are rumored to roam the sewers – an apocryphal tale – and the drinking water system is said to leak like a sieve (true, as it turns out).
There is evidence of secret tunnels in Queens connecting what once were two forts (Totten and Schuyler). “Invisible New York – The Hidden Infrastructure of the City” by Stanley Greenberg (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998) and “Invisible Frontier: Exploring the Tunnels, Ruins, and Rooftops of Hidden New York,” by L.B. Deyo and David Leibowitz (Three Rivers Press, 2003) each treat these realms with respect, awe, fear and no lack of humor. The movie, In Search of the Mole People, documents an underground world of people squatting in the tunnels adjoining the subway system as a follow-up to the book, “The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City” (Jennifer Toth, Chicago Review Press, 1995). Both revisit the theme created by a 1950s B movie, The Mole People (which includes a character played by Hugh Beaumont, who later starred as dad Ward Cleaver in the “Leave it to Beaver” television series).