[AtE] Condition of Highways

[wabishtar]

Can anyone provide any data on what the quality of roads would be like After the End? My game will feature cars and motorcycles heavily, and I just want to get an idea of road conditions. I'm specifically talking about a nuclear attack, but any data on road condition After the End would probably be helpful.

[ericbsmith]

Originally Posted by wabishtar

Can anyone provide any data on what the quality of roads would be like After the End? My game will feature cars and motorcycles heavily, and I just want to get an idea of road conditions. I'm specifically talking about a nuclear attack, but any data on road condition After the End would probably be helpful.

Timeframe and location will be critical to answering the question. Roads decay for several reasons, the primary ones being how heavily they're being used and how heavy the vehicles are that are using them; the second factor being the weather. Since they won't be used as much we're left with the weather and how long they've been left to decay.

[wabishtar]

60 years after a nuclear attack, and for most of that time, there's been extremely sparse use, as people are just now coming out of the shelters. Obviously, the roads going through major cities that have been nuked are destroyed, but I'm talking about the roads in rural, remote areas.

[mlangsdorf]

Realistically, even roads that are nearly unused in climates without earthquakes or freezing weather are going to be in pretty bad shape a couple of generations ATE: vegetation will have overgrown the sides and starting splitting the asphalt/concrete apart. In areas with tectonic activity or freezing winters, the roads are going to be vaguely discernable chunks of asphalt and concrete surrounded by vegetation.

The actual effects of a nuclear attack are pretty irrelevant compared to the passage of time. Obviously, roads are destroyed inside the crater, and in bad shape if the nuclear fireball touched down, but aside from that, the big issues are weather and vegeataion.

But honestly, if you want there to be roads for people to drive stuff on, no one is likely to complain if you're not being realistic about it. Just label it "acceptable breaks from reality" and move on.

Alternately, ultra-tech roads might have self-repair capability. One thing I'm envisioning for my ATE game are living plastic superhighways with photosynthetic self-repair capabilities, so the interstates are (mostly) in good shape even 70 years ATE. Of course, there are places where the roads have been subjected to various proteus viruses and mutagens, and thus have mutated into some kind of horrible thing, but that's part and parcel of the kind of gonzo game I'm planning to run.

[GWJ]

This depends on the country too. For example in Poland, new road is full of holes in few years :F

[robkelk]

Originally Posted by wabishtar

60 years after a nuclear attack, and for most of that time, there's been extremely sparse use, as people are just now coming out of the shelters. Obviously, the roads going through major cities that have been nuked are destroyed, but I'm talking about the roads in rural, remote areas.

Is frost heave a concern?

[Flyndaran]

I've seen plenty of weeds punch through edges of local asphalt, so I wouldn't hold out much hope for roads, even those lacking traffic for 60 years.
At the moment, I live in Beaverton, Oregon where freezing temps are very rare. Eastern Oregon gets some hideous thermal variation, so I can't imagine asphalt lasting a decade without major damage.

[starslayer]

For most of Canada roads happily destroy themselves in 3-4 winters. This is somewhat mitigated by using a lower temperature tar in the asphalt (so that during a hot summer it melts and levels out), but that relies on frequent repaving.

Still, there are currently proposals for ground rubber asphalt that should have a 20 year service lifespan, so on a tl 9 ate seeing roads could be drivable (but make sure your driver had good skill for the sections of road that are more treacherous)

[Flyndaran]

Well if you had money and lacked earthquakes, I think concrete/cement can last thousands of years with minimal maintenance. I looking at you, Ancient Rome.

[starslayer]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Well if you had money and lacked earthquakes, I think concrete/cement can last thousands of years with minimal maintenance. I looking at you, Ancient Rome.

Many of the ancient Roman roads were cobblestone, which would be absolutely miserable to drive on. They would also be damaged by high speed travel very quickly.