[Roodgorf]

I don't know that anecdotal evidence about driving conditions is really a great way to talk about driving on gravel. I'm also an Iowan who grew up on gravel roads and frequently drove faster than 50 mph, but if I'm being totally honest I recognize that it wasn't a great idea. On more than one occasion a loose patch of gravel or surprise deer has nearly sent me into a tree at 60 mph.

Sure, the people who frequently use those roads are the ones who will know them best and be able to predict their condition, but your stopping/maneuvering power is so much worse on gravel that assuming an average speed of anything greater than, maybe even near 50 mph seems pretty reckless.

[bigtunacan]

LOL; you are right there. I was of course I young wreckless driver at the time. Depending on the road condition, visibility and area speeds on gravel probably should be anywhere from 25 to 50mph during good weather.

Both gravel and blacktop are lower cost options that can be used in low traffic areas though. There are certainly large stretches of very low traffic high maintenance roads all over Iowa.

[Stratoscope]

For many of us, the day we were no longer a wreckless driver was also the day we became a less reckless driver.

At least one can hope so!

[Alupis]

> Both gravel and blacktop are lower cost options that can be used in low traffic areas though

Blacktop is asphalt (what roads are normally made of). And requires an underlying concrete layer to lengthen it's lifetime (asphalt is a lot "softer" than concrete and more susceptible to ground movement, erosion by the elements and friction from tires, etc...)

[maxerickson]

Asphalt roads are a type of concrete.

In my area, paved, minor county roads certainly don't have a Portland cement concrete base layer, when they are paving they might add some gravel during the surface preparation and grading, but that is about it. As you say, the ground movement shows through, and they are more susceptible to erosion.

[HeyLaughingBoy]

Here too. One of the gravel roads near me was recently paved and they simply flattened it, added some sort of cement + water spray (as opposed to the usual multiple inches thick layer of concrete) and the asphalt placed on top of that. It is definitely better than gravel, but it's already showing some wear in places.

[vonmoltke]

> And requires an underlying concrete layer to lengthen it's lifetime

Depends on the underlying soil. In north Texas it's common when asphalt is laid to pour a Portland cement concrete base, though many roads and highways are just straight concrete. In south Florida, the roadbed is usually just packed limestone, because the land has a rock layer no more than 50 feet down and the sandy soil is pretty incompressible, unlike the constantly expanding and contracting clay in Texas.