Why do they oil roads?

[Lare]

I can't speak for the rest of the country, but if you ride the roads in Arizona every once in a while you see a sign that says "Fresh Oil."

Maybe it's just my paranoid nature, but these seem to pop up most often near some twistys.

Does anyone know the logic behind putting oil on a road that has a lot of curves and/or hills?
:confused:

[DaveDragon]

I've see the signs out west before, specifically in Wyoming.

They had sprayed new tar on the sides of the road.

[zippy_gg]

... and oil sips out.

[GolfGuy]

Dust control. ;)

[tbarstow]

It seals the surface so that future preciptiation will cause less damage.

[cfell]

Yup.. in Louisiana it was called "dust control"... it was interesting that they used all the "waste oil" from the Parish and local govamint ve-hikles.... and of course the Electric Utility Transformer Oil gave it a nice "stickiness"...

[nplenzick]

Here in Pa they oil and chip some roads, the chips being crushed stone. So you not only have the oil to contend with but you also have bullets made of stone hitting your face shield and or cracking your car windshield. It's a cheap way to pave secondary roads and totally worthless in my opinion. Thankfully this practice is getting less and less used.

[dsauer608]

Oil is used for dust control on dirt roads. On paved roads it's chip/seal applied as mentioned above, and the weight of the traffic pushes it into the existing asphalt to make it stronger, smoother and water tight. It's used alot around here, and it sucks when it's new!

[nplenzick]

Oil is used for dust control on dirt roads. On paved roads it's chip/seal applied as mentioned above, and the weight of the traffic pushes it into the existing asphalt to make it stronger, smoother and water tight. It's used a lot around here, and it sucks when it's new!
It may make them stronger and water tight but it doesn't seem to make it smoother. The same bumps and dips are still there. I guess it just doesn't make them worse. There have been so many complaints in my area that their stopping this practice.......now I'm sure the same people complaining will be complaining about the increase in tax's that they'll have to charge when they begin to pave the same roads in the proper manner!

[jayjacobson]

....now I'm sure the same people complaining will be complaining about the increase in tax's that they'll have to charge when they begin to pave the same roads in the proper manner!
It would probably depend on where you live. Here in Kommyfornia, for instance, when you add up ALL taxes, we have one of the highest tax rates in the country. Our roads should ALL be concrete with gold inlays--with diamond cut grooves for additional traction!

[bonafidebob]

Here in Pa they oil and chip some roads, the chips being crushed stone. So you not only have the oil to contend with but you also have bullets made of stone hitting your face shield and or cracking your car windshield. It's a cheap way to pave secondary roads and totally worthless in my opinion. Thankfully this practice is getting less and less used.
My experience this summer is that the oil and chip coat is still far too common. I ran into it in Nevada, Kansas, South Dakota, and Wyoming. And I don't think they're using crushed stone so much as small river rock, some of the stuff I rode over was like ball bearings! The worst is when it's mostly washed off the road so the surface seems solid, but then you hit a little leftover patch at a low spot in a corner... fun!

[gunny]

Why do they oil roads? Why to keep them from rusting of course.

[jzeiler]

You have never heard a freshly oiled road squeak, now have you?? :p

[eljeffe]

Dino or synth?

God forbid they use the wretched Amsoil

[nplenzick]

It would probably depend on where you live. Here in Kommyfornia, for instance, when you add up ALL taxes, we have one of the highest tax rates in the country. Our roads should ALL be concrete with gold inlays--with diamond cut grooves for additional traction!

Actually what a few engineers have told me concrete is one of the worst materials you can use for a road surface. It seams it doesn't do well with temperature extremes and corrosive materials. These same engineers told me the best material they saw was a combination of asphalt and recycled rubber from tires. Apparently it met with great opposition from the asphalt and concrete lobbyist. I guess there's a lobbyist for everything!