what happened to the road?!?

[gogan]

So I went out two nights ago, beautiful weather and quiet streets.   Awesome time, I spent all winter waiting to go out on the Arbor.  But something I wasn't expecting was how rough some of the road surfaces got!  One side street i used to cut across on was so rough I walked it because it was just too rough.       Last year it was reasonably rideable.

Are the deicing chemicals, salt and plows that bad that they chew the surface up in one winter?  Smooth pavement is sooo nice but a few of my favorite roads seem like they are garbage now. 

Anyone have similar experience?

[fredder]

It's caused more from the freeze and thaw cycles that ontario roads are subject to.  Salt and other chemicals are bad for the environment but don't really cause deterioration of the road.

[lahey]

not to mention trees that are around could have their roots come up to the surface and crack the pavement...my driveway did this a couple years ago

[Jim]

Ancaster is really bad for this lately, our roads are falling apart. Lots of shifting earth and high-traffic areas that just are not designed for the abuse they now take. Swelling population counts are to blame.

Solution? Kill all non skaters, but spare the road workers, we need them.

[LDPusher]

noisebomb, shifting earth? Canada, and Ancaster specifically are on the canadian shield, meaning no fault lines...  It is caused by the freeze/thaw, cars, and the salt products they put on the road.  High traffic areas typically have better road surfaces, not the other way around.

[Watts]

Ottawa this spring has been amazing.  Our winter was so mild that after the thaw there really wasn't any need to have the streets swept. In past years I've noticed roads being a little worse after the winter, but this year I haven't.

[Jackson]

noisebomb, shifting earth? Canada, and Ancaster specifically are on the canadian shield, meaning no fault lines...  It is caused by the freeze/thaw, cars, and the salt products they put on the road.  High traffic areas typically have better road surfaces, not the other way around.

actually there are more faults in the canadian shield than the prairies... mountain building causes faults!

But you're right, traffic, salt and freeze/thaw cycles. Not tree roots, there is a large gravel/sand base under the road that prevents stuff like that.

[Jim]

The 2001 census in Ancaster had a population of 27,485 people, the 2006 one had a pop. of 33,232, now that it's 2010, I would guess that number is over 40,000 now, some roads have been build up, but a lot of them are not designed for the traffic they now receive. Hamilton's population goes up by around 1% a year, ancaster's been about 2.8 each year. We also have a lot of problems with frost affecting the roads, lots of water flowing around here. But the traffic doesn't help!

We used to be such a small town     Fucking meadowlands bastards!

[LDPusher]

I'm also speaking fairly urban.  Not the rural surrounding communities.

I had no clue about the faults in Ontario.  My understanding is that we're pretty safe despite them.

[Jackson]

I'm also speaking fairly urban.  Not the rural surrounding communities.

I had no clue about the faults in Ontario.  My understanding is that we're pretty safe despite them.

Yeah, its kind of interesting actually. The Canadian Shield at one time was larger than the Rockies, and an extremely active fault zone ( during the last time that Europe and Canada were side by side. Over the last  couple 100 million years they were eroded down to the mountain range's roots. Europe and North America then pulled away from each other, releasing a lot of the stress on the faults and they relaxed, and settled - kind of like a spring that was compressed then contracted ( in terms of energy level along the faults...).

Faults just mean large scale fractures in rock beds. So now for the most part the faults that once probably wreaked earthquake havoc on East coast North America are now dormant. They likely will not be seriously active until the next East coast collision with another continent.


So yeah we're safe for a long time haha!

[Zigmidge]

Faults just mean large scale fractures in rock beds. So now for the most part the faults that once probably wreaked earthquake havoc on East coast North America are now dormant. They likely will not be seriously active until the next East coast collision with another continent.


So yeah we're safe for a long time haha!

Think of the roads and new hills we'll get when it happens!

[Jackson]

lol yeah take that BC!

[soulindk]

Ancaster does not lie on the Canadian Shield. The Canadian Shield does not extend much further South than Lake Simcoe into Southwestern Ontario. Ancaster is on the Niagara Escarpment, which is in the geographical area called the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Lowlands.

[Cuna]

I should of paid better attention in Geography

From what I've always understood about it though, the thawing and freezing of the roads is what creates the cracks. But I guess it would probably be a number of things that contribute to the condition of roads.

[Jackson]

faults do not contribute to the cracks.. just to clarify.

its 90% freezing and thawing + the effect of alot of traffic.