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henw · 07-08-2007, 10:20 AM

Stayed for a lovely week in the Mts of NC.
Drive up from Fla. included I -95 in South Carolina. This buckboard section of the interstate so beat my truck and trailer that I detoured an extra 100 miles going home just to avoid it. Boy, are they overdue in Rd maintenance.
What's you worst road?

Alumatube · 07-08-2007, 10:28 AM

Oh, geez, without a doubt the stretch of I-40 from Memphis to Little Rock. It will beat the HECK out of you, no matter what you are driving. It is a major truck route and Arkansas hasn't bothered to do anything with it.

There was an article on it in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette recently where the state acknowledged the issues with it and said it was on the list to get to soon, and they hadn't got to it before due to other priorities. We'll see.

As a secondary, the stretch of I-530 (in Arkansas between Little Rock and Pine Bluff) from Exit 24 about 8 miles north is horrible. Patched to within an inch of its life and really messed up, and they keep redoing little bits of it but it needs ripping out and total replacement.

Susan

BamCamper · 07-08-2007, 10:32 AM

The Al Can Highway!

The road to Alaska where they call baseball sized rocks in the road gravel.

Roadschooler · 07-08-2007, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by henw

Stayed for a lovely week in the Mts of NC.
Drive up from Fla. included I -95 in South Carolina. This buckboard section of the interstate so beat my truck and trailer that I detoured an extra 100 miles going home just to avoid it. Boy, are they overdue in Rd maintenance.
What's you worst road?

I'm curious where you stayed in mountains of NC. We live in the mountains of Western NC

.

thecatsandi · 07-08-2007, 10:41 AM

CA hwy 17 from Monterey to Southern Bay. Bounced truck and trailer the whole way and that sucker is windy. I had to slow down well below posted speed and got nasty stares from people passing me.

CanoeStream · 07-08-2007, 10:57 AM

Tired concrete highways anywhere -- how it rises near the seams and gives a bucking tow experience. I have seen some hwy dept milling of these areas near the seams and it improves the experience immensely!

Actual highway? U.S. 50 in northeast West Virginia! Short sharp switchbacks up the grinding climbs will put any transmission cooler to the test!

Boondocker · 07-08-2007, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alumatube

Oh, geez, without a doubt the stretch of I-40 from Memphis to Little Rock. It will beat the HECK out of you, no matter what you are driving. It is a major truck route and Arkansas hasn't bothered to do anything with it.
Susan

Thanks for the heads up! I was considering using that route. I am just as happy to miss it.

bobfowler · 07-08-2007, 12:11 PM

I-287 in NY, between I-684 and the Tappan Zee Bridge is tied with the Cross Bronx Expressway for worst in my book. YUCK!

Kistler · 07-08-2007, 12:18 PM

I-40 isn't good west of the Mississippi at spots......it is/has been a mess around Gallup for a couple of years. Lots of single lane stuff for bridge replacement.

Hwy 99 around Bakersfield seems to have seams just at the wrong spot for whatever rig I am driving; it was terrible in the MH and it is bad with my present tt and tv.

I believe it was the Eisenhower administration that got us some of the inter-state system AND it has been detiorating ever since

pmclemore · 07-08-2007, 12:25 PM

Between Richmond VA and Albuquerque NM, the worst in my opinion is OK City west about 30 miles. Talking about rolling thunder. Not an occasional bump, but hump hump hump. I could not find a speed at which I felt I was not doing real damage.

The Top of the World highway between Tok, AK and Dawson City YT is tough, but not as uncomfortable.

Pat

ZoominC6 · 07-08-2007, 12:40 PM

....and you might add I-20 East of "The Big Muddy" as well. Those expansion joints on a concrete highway again!

Sugarfoot · 07-08-2007, 02:04 PM

I-59 both north-and southbound between Gadsden, AL and Fort Payne, AL. It's 40 miles of old-fashioned washboard without mercy. The left lanes are slightly better than the right, and northbound slightly better than south, but it will shake out your rivets regardless.

codybear · 07-08-2007, 03:26 PM

California's hwy 80!!

Silvertwinkie · 07-08-2007, 03:29 PM

Really, most roads in Illinois are pretty bad unless the have been rebuilt in the past 2-3 years.

...but even when they are repaired, it's pretty much a parking lot anyway on nearly every Interstate in the Chicagoland area.

Goin camping · 07-08-2007, 04:04 PM

I 5 Between the grapevine and Sacramento.

The road surface will pop a shock absorber through your hood. I can hear my trailer crying for mercy.

Scenery. It is grim go through at night if you can.

Hastings Ranch. That smell has knocked buzzards of wagons. If you've smelled it you know I'm being polite.

overlander63 · 07-08-2007, 04:10 PM

As far as the route, State Route 28 in North Carolina along with US 129 between Bryson City and Chilhowee. the condition of the road is okay, but the twisting, turning, and up-and-down (constant) make it a nightmare to drive. I don't think I ever went more than 25 mph, and usually that seemed recklessly fast. I had (very) briefly considered taking our trailer that way, as the map said it was very scenic, and recommended to travel. It would break a snake's back to try to travel this route.

As for an Interstate, I-80 in Western Pennsylvania was really bad the last time I had the misfortune to have to drive it, some sections were gravel, with huge potholes. And this was an Interstate!

**azflycaster** · 07-08-2007, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goin camping

I 5 Between the grapevine and Sacramento.

The road surface will pop a shock absorber through your hood. I can hear my trailer crying for mercy.

Scenery. It is grim go through at night if you can.

Hastings Ranch. That smell has knocked buzzards of wagons. If you've smelled it you know I'm being polite.

I did that trip a couple of years ago to buy (not) an Airstream just north of Santa Rosa. The road was not too bad, but I did not have a trailer in tow. The scenery did improve after the sun set

I do not know Hastings Ranch, but the air going past Bakersville had a bad taste to it

klattu · 07-08-2007, 04:59 PM

This has to be the ultimate shaker path.
Goes thru an Indian reservation, and is not graded often.
Dirt and very wide, about 40'

We were on a mission to see all the arches we could.
There was one on the cover of Rand Mac back around '96 that was down this road.

Really did look just like the old washboard.
No speed was good.
Too slow was like horse back...
Too fast and you had no control.

Just north of Moab in Utah

Goin camping · 07-08-2007, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azflycaster

I do not know Hastings Ranch, but the air going past Bakersville had a bad taste to it

Oh the bad taste is the cropdusters. A lovely combination of dirt and chemicals.

Hastings ranch, the actual ranch and not the diner is a cattle finishing yard. You can roll up the windows and turn off all vents and still smell/taste/feel the stench.

I 5 is a truck highway most cars take the 99 to the East. All those trucks have done a number on the road surface.

cammur · 07-08-2007, 05:45 PM

Gonin Camping - that foul area on I-5 is just north of Harris Ranch, not Hastings Ranch. When we see/smell it 'comin we put the AC on recirc and hope for the best. My kids used to try and hold their breath.

Hastings Ranch sounds real familiar - but I can't place it, other than a subdivision in or near Sierra Madre off the 210 in SoCal.