I would rather rip my dick off and throw it in the river than drive from Starkville to Montgomery on 82.
To make this MSU related, ATTN LEO LEWIS!!!11!1!!!
To make this MSU related, ATTN LEO LEWIS!!!11!1!!!
Why are Alabama's roads so ******?
- Thread starter 57stratdawg
- Start date
82 and 84 are 4 lane'd state line to state line in MS. When you cross into Bama on them it's like traveling back in time to the 50's.
I'll give you credit, y'all are making break-neck progress on 82. Only took 25 years.
I'll give you credit, y'all are making break-neck progress on 82. Only took 25 years.
I vote the stretch between Little Rock and Memphis when your going that way to a game can get on any ones top 10. Don't know about ripping a part of my body off Top 10 but 17ed for sure.
Mississippi has a pretty good four lane system statewide but..
I think to maintain it and fix the bad bridges across the state they need to do something, add a few cents to the gas tax or something. Within the next 5-10 years there are going to be serious infrastructure problems.
I think to maintain it and fix the bad bridges across the state they need to do something, add a few cents to the gas tax or something. Within the next 5-10 years there are going to be serious infrastructure problems.
Don't forget Hwy 98 the preferred route to the emerald coast. I take 63 to not have to drive through the redneck hood.
You are from Mississippi and complaining about Alabama roads?
Seriously, have you ever driven around Mississippi? Even in Starkville, one of the largest cities in MS, the roads are pretty bad.
Seriously, have you ever driven around Mississippi? Even in Starkville, one of the largest cities in MS, the roads are pretty bad.
Alabama's public school teachers are paid a little better than ours. Maybe thats where the money for the roads went. Seriously though, drive on any county road in Choctaw County, AL or Silas, AL and you will think a meteor shower had taken place recently. Its a common thing to see "No Fishing" signs placed near pot holes full of water deep enough to swallow a small car. I remember folks on one road that went to the Meridian news station about the condition of their road because it was so bad, and the station decided to run a story on the problem. That very afternoon the Choctaw county road commissioner got word of who was coming and suddenly had some "extra" slag and sent his crew out to quickly fill the pot holes before the news van got there. Pathetic....
To answer the original poster's question though......In my opinion, the problem can be attributed to:
1. No tax base to fund road repair in most rural Alabama counties (In other words: they're broke).
2. Corrupt road commissioners elected by the "good ole boy" system, who only want to protect their paychecks and take advantage of what little public monies they do have control of
3. Folks tearing their own roads up with their overloaded 18 wheelers, ATV's, and idiots who show off by spinning their oversized wheels in their Z71s and Dodge Chargers. Why try to fix something that people are in a hurry to destroy?
So there you go. I live near the Alabama line, and my in-laws reside in Alabama, so I speak from firsthand experience.
To answer the original poster's question though......In my opinion, the problem can be attributed to:
1. No tax base to fund road repair in most rural Alabama counties (In other words: they're broke).
2. Corrupt road commissioners elected by the "good ole boy" system, who only want to protect their paychecks and take advantage of what little public monies they do have control of
3. Folks tearing their own roads up with their overloaded 18 wheelers, ATV's, and idiots who show off by spinning their oversized wheels in their Z71s and Dodge Chargers. Why try to fix something that people are in a hurry to destroy?
So there you go. I live near the Alabama line, and my in-laws reside in Alabama, so I speak from firsthand experience.
My wife blew the front struts out on a relatively new car shortly after we moved to affluent and prestigious Madison. Worst roads in the country for the average household income and tax base. I ain`t throwing rocks at Alabama or anybody else` roads.
It's much better than what it used to be. You have to consider the incredible amount of truck traffic that stretch gets yearly.
Under construction since 1990.... I've never seen it not having work done. I drove through over Christmas and it was down to one lane in each direction 30 miles outside of Memphis. Took an hour to go 2 miles. Good stuff. Also got a ticket for not merging soon enough before a construction zone, even though my lane was open another half mile or so. And the best, there was so much construction once I somehow ended up on another highway without knowing it. Drove thirty minutes before I knew it.
i hate I40, though it goes straight to my hometown.
i hate I40, though it goes straight to my hometown.
It's not about pot holes to me, it's about the roads being a two lane-45mph hwy. Those same roads are 4 laned-65mph mini-interstates in MS.
Truthfully, I'd imagine Trent Lott is really the difference.
Truthfully, I'd imagine Trent Lott is really the difference.
It's a huge money maker for these Alabama cops. They nail beach vacationers left and right all year long who don't slow down from 65 to 45 after they hit the 2 lane at the state line. Most of these remote places don't make money any other way besides speeding tickets and overpriced gasoline.
Agreed, but it's not just them. I've gone through roadblocks on 82 right before the state line coming back from MSU games in Tuscaloosa twice.
There isn't a single stretch of interstate in MS that's as bad as I-20 from the state line through Tuscaloosa. And that includes the stretch of 20 between Clinton and Vicksburg.
HWY 49 is the worst hwy anywhere. Central and southern MS and parts of Louisiana have some of the worst roads in America. I can't speak for AL because every time I pass over their state line the interstate immediately improves. To her defense, MS doesn't have the luxury of having rocky or sandy soil. But a lot of roads aren't built correctly from the start. The main reason for this are the budget constraints, but there's also a general lack of pride when it comes to doing things right. Just take a look at the road repairs around here, a 3 year old with a bucket and shovel could do a little worse I guess..I don't know. In Germany and Switzerland these hwys would have to be completely rebuilt.
Unfortunately more people than not in Mississippi have no pride in anything they do in life. When your way of life revolves around living off handouts, and always thinking of immediate self gratification.....why should we be surprised at quality of our roads when MDOT hires these people to come work for them? There are plenty of good hard working people in Mississippi, but they are certainly in the minority.
What part are you driving. I hate driving Hwy 49 south of Jackson, but it's maintained fairly well. Don't drive it as often between Jackson and the Delta as often, but I've driven it and it seemed ok. It's a two-lane road connecting small towns through sparsely populated areas; I don't know what state would keep that type of road up better than MS. Maintaining roads (especially the 4 lane hwys, is way, way down the list of things I'd criticize Mississippi's gov't for.