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dryingsocks t1_j7eaxmm wrote

to be fair, the heaviest vehicle during roman times was a ox cart. with cars becoming heavier and heavier they put more wear on the street than romans ever could

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PhasmaFelis t1_j7ely23 wrote

Roman roads are interesting. Astonishing engineering, a really well-built stone road can last for millennia.

But you wouldn't want to drive on one. Stone pavers give a hell of a rough ride at any real speed, and stone is deadly slick when it's wet. For cars you really need something that's very smooth and slightly tacky, and unfortunately asphalt is the best we've come up with so far. I'll take dealing with potholes over a 30MPH top speed.

(And if we did drive on Roman roads, I don't think they'd last so long under regular 18-wheeler traffic.)

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Sunnyjim333 t1_j7gevlv wrote

Side note, Illinois was experimenting with a cork surface. We drove on some on Interstate 55, it was a smooth ride at the time. This was in 2017.

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