I'm curious what others think of the road conditions in Oregon?

Twice now I have broken the little plastic piece in the headlight rod by hitting potholes or railroad track crossings. MazdaTrix is almost up to $40 for new headlight rods and I'm now averaging one a month.

After it happened this time, I was pulled over by not one, but two police cars telling me that one of my headlights was down.

I talked to ODOT and the person in charge of highways 99W and 18 said "ODOT has no money for road maintenance on these roads and there is no schedule for maintenance on these roads in the future." He also said that "...their not bad. They are in the same condition as forty percent of the other roads in Oregon."

I'm thinking that nearly half of the states roads are this poor!

99W between Newberg and McMinnville is so bad that I see people driving in the bike lane, shoulder, or in the turn lane. Any where but the driving lane.

So I'm just venting, because sometimes I don't like driving my car, not because I am afraid of what damage could be done by other drivers, but by what damage will be done by the road and what I will have to fix next.

 

Same in Milwauke. There is one stretch that has broken 2 of my friends rims and popped countless other motorist tires. Yet ODOT just spent $7million adding a turn lane and lights on 99e near my parents that was un-needed according to the town. Idiots.

 

yeah they've been "renovating" the offramps on 26 for beaverton, adding barkdust, and trees, etc etc, seems like a waste of money, who cares if all you see is a baron patch of grass, fix the ******* potholes

 

eugene doesnt seem that bad.

 

Marion county is pretty good imop. There are some ruff spots at stop signs, from semi trucks....but for the most part my FD and I are pretty happy on the country roads. CJ

 

Every state has these issues, some are even worse than Oregon. Personally, compared to the rest of the US, Oregon roadways are pretty damn good and it has some of the best twisties overall. There are states with better roads, but theres nothing there to really speak of as far as jobs or even things to do. Just my two cents.

You want to talk about bad roads, go to Detroit or Chicago. And out of the US, man I've been on some duzzies.

 

i never drive in the middle lane of 84 on the west side of town because it pulls the car in crazy directions. its hard to stay in the lane because of the grooves. im always afraid i'll get pulled over for being drunk. that, and the car vibrates too much in that lane.

 

yeah, but we're talking about areas that matter. Nobody drives in eugene... and if they do, its in a BioDiesel VW Bus with flowers on the side. They don't count.

 

Agreed. Try Louisiana! Seattle is also really bad in many areas. The reason things seem so bad now is that we had some hard freezes and then a thaw. That ice expanded, cracking the pavement, and the ice thawed and water drained away, leaving a void that collapses in. Happens every year, right around this time. Budgets or no, they will send out crews to fill up the holes with asphalt, even if they can't repave a whole road.

Oh, if you want to see probably the worst intersection in the metro area, go to NE Marx and NE 112th (just off Sandy, past the Baxter Auto Parts, across the RR tracks at the bottom of the hill). I swear there are more potholes than actual pavement surface through the entire intersection. I am not kidding!

 

yah i agree with adam and blake. fricken oregon has some very nice roads compared to other parts of the country. i remember when my family n i went to california for vacation and we were on the freeway goin freeway speed and there was a slight (what it seemed) raise in the road, mind you we are in a huge suburban with 4 ppl n luggage. when we went over this bump my dad almost lost control of the car, it was like hitting a couple of curbs at 65+mph.

 

HAHAHAHAHAHA, superburn on Eugene. OH wait I live in Eugene.
its really not that bad, jsut got to know the streets.

 

i dont think oregon roads are that bad. After you live in LA for a while almost any other place is better.

Although there is one pothole on Lombard that is very annoying...

Shay

 

So I used to commute from mac to newberg everyday and now I live in Newberg. Try taking the back roads. Right now Westside Road is closed but going through carlton and taking 240 to newberg is much better and less traffic. Along with a pleasant ride and scenery its about 5 min. longer of a drive. Its worth it to me.

 

Try living at the base of Mount Hood.... Potholes are the least of your worries! The sand they put down is more like gravel and its sharp as hell!! 3 flats this year alone not to mention a cracked window in the wifes Outback!

Then to top it all off, they dont sweep it up until summer so its around to be peppered with for months during spring.

 

I love driving around the Carlton metro area. Lots of nice roads, and scenery. CJ

 

I agree, there is no need for it. They'll just have to replace it in a few months anyways. But they did repave part of 26 and Murry.