[ledfoot]

Why is it that the center dividers/shoulders of CA highways look like gravel stages in WRC races? Why can't Caltrans run a goddamned street sweeper down the center divider/side of the road at least ONCE EVERY 10 YEARS so that rock chips don't happen so often on my cars' hoods and windshields?

Due to Caltrans incompetence + unsecured semi loads of gravel/junk/etc. + the CHP not enforcing laws about trucks securing their loads + lowest bidder construction practices for our roads, I've now got rock chips/spider cracks on both my 330i and S4 windshields within a 2 week time period.

Given this is e90post, anyone know where in the Bay Area I can get a new windshield for an '06 330i with rain sensing wipers? I'd prefer to side step the stealership and the insurance company who wants me to pay my $500 Comprehensive deductible if I can get the job done cheaper than that.

Also, what's up with insurance companies in CA not waiving glass damage deductibles like they do in MA and TX? Time to call our local congresspeople get them to do something productive. (I'm with Liberty Mutual)

[ledfoot]

Originally Posted by sf_loft

By contrast, in California cities on the top 10 list, one-half to two-thirds of pavements are rated poor.

That's the obvious bit. It would be nice if $0.77 of every $1 we send to the Federal gov't didn't get redirected to other (poor) states.

http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/mem...5AD13OP01.aspx

If your own state doesn't have enough tax revenue to pay for your own programs/roads/whatever, you should pay more taxes you chumps!

[dth656]

actually, i've seen caltrans sweeping the median on 880 fairly often, and it STILL sucks. they probably do a half-assed job..

however, i was on a project in the UK for a month a couple of years ago, and driving on their motorways made me actually appreciate the job caltrans does (engineering wise)...things like the off and on ramp tapers, radii of curvature, the superelevation of the road in curves, etc

[ledfoot]

Originally Posted by dth656

however, i was on a project in the UK for a month a couple of years ago, and driving on their motorways made me actually appreciate the job caltrans does (engineering wise)

You've got to be kidding. The highways in the UK are 50x better than our roads. They don't have potholes, they don't have ruts, and they aren't covered with trash and construction debris. Tijuana has better roads than San Francisco!

[shragon]

i've seen caltrans sweeping the freeway too a couple of times. all i can stay i stay clear of it! so much crap gets kicked up, it's crazy!

[bspaceman]

+1 on rock chips. Got one on Thursday.

[solefald]

you know, after seeing roads in Russia last year, i can't complain.
Moscow was ridiculous, but my hometown looked like Germans just finished bombing couple of days ago! I don't know how people drive there. Our RFT tires would not last even 1 day on those roads

[yazz]

i got a substantial crack on my windshield a couple years ago, i have a tahoe, i think it was about 250 to have it replaced

[im spencer]

I feel your pain, Caltrans has done jack shit to maintain our roads there has been little improvement in over the last fifteen years

[ledfoot]

Anyone know of a good glass place and the approximate cost I should be expecting to replace the windshield?

[ShinBalNom]

I had mine replaced at Pacific BMW (so cal) for $1,000 after tax. with insurance dectuctible $500 and out of pocket $150, i paid $650. Insurance companies will not pay more than $250 for labor charges when the dealers initially quoted me $1,300 for labor only!!!

With my haggling skills, i got it down to $1,000... but still pricey. Good luck with your replacement.

I belive most reputible 3rd party window replacement companies will charge you anywhere from $500 to $600 for replacement with bmw parts. That was the average quote i got... so i decided to just go with the dealer and insurance for the free rental car.

[dth656]

well, caltrans standard response to these sorts of complaints is that "we have 10x the traffic load of most other states"

i remember from back in my civil engineering days that the standard way to calculate the life of a road surface is number of point loads over time (so a normal car axle combination w/ some weight upon it comprises 2 point loads, for example)---the point is to make a more durable fwy or road costs more money (concrete vs. asphalt, depth of the paving material, etc)

that being said, i can't count the number of times i've cursed caltrans for all the rocks and shit that seem attracted to my vehicle. 880 thru oakland is pretty crappy, despite their half-assed attempts to sweep it. sections of 280, however, seem a lot nicer...

i can also say that in my undergrad civil engineering class, most of the dumb kids went to work for caltrans. that might explain some of it...

[dth656]

Originally Posted by ledfoot

You've got to be kidding. The highways in the UK are 50x better than our roads. They don't have potholes, they don't have ruts, and they aren't covered with trash and construction debris. Tijuana has better roads than San Francisco!

i didnt mean the quality of the road surface, but some of the design characteristics...in the UK, the tapers for off and on ramps were far too short for the motorway speed, and some of the elevation changes and radii of curvature made absolutely no sense to me. then there was the parking lot for the Asda store near my hotel (Asda is like a wal-mart style big-box retailer). it had space for 2-300 cars, and only ONE two-lane freakin driveway to enter and exit from. you can imagine what it looked like on a saturday afternoon when all the old folks came out to do their shopping...

[shragon]

Originally Posted by dth656

well, caltrans standard response to these sorts of complaints is that "we have 10x the traffic load of most other states"

i remember from back in my civil engineering days that the standard way to calculate the life of a road surface is number of point loads over time (so a normal car axle combination w/ some weight upon it comprises 2 point loads, for example)---the point is to make a more durable fwy or road costs more money (concrete vs. asphalt, depth of the paving material, etc)

that being said, i can't count the number of times i've cursed caltrans for all the rocks and shit that seem attracted to my vehicle. 880 thru oakland is pretty crappy, despite their half-assed attempts to sweep it. sections of 280, however, seem a lot nicer...

i can also say that in my undergrad civil engineering class, most of the dumb kids went to work for caltrans. that might explain some of it...

280 through the peninsula is still in fairly good shape. they redid parts of 280 in sj and it's pretty smooth.

but all in all, our freeways are in pretty bad shape in cali.

80 going to tahoe and reno is pretty horrible. but once you pass into nevada, it's a night and day difference.

[dth656]

i was in upstate NY, and same thing as the section of 80 near tahoe. the thing that really kills pavement is the frost/heave action. water gets into the tiny interstitial spaces in the pavement (pores), then freezes, and mechanically breaks the pavement apart from inside, then the cycle repeats. its just like you get potholes after rain, but worse.