cancel
Showing results forย 
Search instead forย 
Did you mean:ย 

California I-5

Blazing_Zippers
Explorer II
Explorer II
We just drove from Lodi to Kettleman City, Southbound. The right lane is horrible! We're going to try Hwy 99 back North to save the RV. Sadly, the state has let a major highway fall into disrepair.
31 REPLIES 31

MarkTwain
Explorer
Explorer
Speed traps on I-5 in Ca. All the radar on I-5 is radar in the "bears cars" and "bear in sky" airplanes combined with CHP cars.

CA_Traveler
Explorer III
Explorer III
I passed through at least 2 speed enforcement officers in CA on this trip. Both were on 101 from LA north. Both were a single officer with radar. Others may have had radar, don't know. And don't most use laser these days?

Years ago I asked a San Jose officer at Starbucks about the radar trap that I went through every day. He politely informed me that they don't have radar traps but rather "speed enforcement". :B But of course the same ticket and they always had customers every day.

Most truckers in CA stay under 63 MPH. At 65 they are pushing their luck and they with their commercial license don't want a ticket. Sure some go faster but not many in my experience.
2009 Holiday Rambler 42' Scepter with ISL 400 Cummins
750 Watts Solar Morningstar MPPT 60 Controller
2014 Grand Cherokee Overland

Bob

myredracer
Explorer II
Explorer II
paulj wrote:
Many miles of Interstate were built with concrete slabs which have tended to shift with use. Often one end tips down a bit, the other up. When a heavily loaded truck tire crosses from the up end of one slab to the next, it drops and puts further downward pressure on the next. The result is a sawtooth surface. If the period of that surface coincides with the RV suspension tuning the ride can be very rough.
I've read that the cause is due to the harmonic frequency of semi-truck suspensions coinciding with the spacing of the gaps between slab sections. Sounds plausible - dunno. Whatever the cause, concrete slab roads in this condition are a disaster. In the past, we had the cords break in a tire on a near new pickup truck in NorCal on I-5. The tire had large bubbles all over it. All 4 tires got replaced under warranty when we got home. On another trip on same I-5, same thing happened twice on the same trip. When it happened the 2nd time, we were extremely lucky to find a wrecking yard nearby that we limped to. They had the same wheel/tire size available and we were able to get back on the road quickly.

The sharp thump, thump, thump is really hard on tires. If I ever encounter a road with concrete slabs like that again, I'm gonna slow waaay down and take a detour if possible, esp. if towing the TT.

The worst road I've seen anywhere on the planet has to be I-680, a highway from hell around the east side of SF. Six lanes of high speed driving with crazy drivers on a non-stop super-rough surface. Our truck & TT were shaking so badly I thought they were going to explode. Not possible to slow down. Wouldn't ever do that again!!

So how can Oregon have no sales tax yet have some pretty decent roads?

Have towed our TT lots in CA and have never seen a radar trap anywhere. On the interstates I hang with the truck traffic at up to 65 mph (due to ST tires). On secondary hwys I drive up to 65 depending on what other traffic is doing. Driving at 55 feels like you're standing still. It gets fun when the semi trucks slow up the hills while I'm able to hold the speed and they disappear out of view in the mirror. Then down other side they catch up and fly past while I hold at max 65. Can be back 'n forth for many miles sometimes... ๐Ÿ™‚

paulj
Explorer II
Explorer II
This is all just a scheme to get you all to trade in your RVs for Teslas. ๐Ÿ™‚


https://wsdotblog.blogspot.com/2018/06/new-drone-video-highlights-challenges.html

This is an article about the need to repave another stretch of I5 - a major bridge in Seattle. They anticipate having the money to do a full repaving in 6-8 years. In the meantime they have to settle with patching.

profdant139
Explorer II
Explorer II
You folks have to look on the bright side -- the roads are so bad that you can't go faster than 55 anyway, so the low speed limit is not a problem at all! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Seriously, I often travel at 62 or 63 while towing and have never gotten a ticket. I wave to the CHP as they pass me.
2012 Fun Finder X-139 "Boondock Style" (axle-flipped and extra insulation)
2013 Toyota Tacoma Off-Road (semi-beefy tires and components)
Our trips -- pix and text
About our trailer
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single list."

MarkTwain
Explorer
Explorer
hotpepperkid wrote:
TANDDANDBIGE wrote:
Add to the RVer's problem is that if you tow anything you are supposed to stay at 55. That means right lane most of the time...โ€ฆ. which sucks. We are going to snowbird for the first time this year and I am looking at any route besides Ca.. It will depend on the weather at first of Oct., altitudes etc.. We just returned from 2 months down to Yosemite etc. and got beat up both on 99 and I5. Not as bad North of Sac though. TB


I dont vacation in CA not even when I lived there for several reason and the speed limit is one of them


I have been driving calif. highways for years with my 5th. wheel. 1st., I use a Valentine Radar Dector $300) all the time. 1 speeding ticket can cost you $300. It will detect radar in all directions 1/4 mile away. Invaluable at night:) 2nd. I drive 63-64 miles per hour all the time and the CHP "bears" have never pulled me over. Most of the big trucks drive 61-62 MPH. I try not to pass 3 or 4 trucks in one move.

CA_Traveler
Explorer III
Explorer III
In Eureka and just enjoyed Santa Barbara, Bodega Bay and the Redwoods so avoided 5. But with family in Sac 5 will be on the return list.

It's not 5/99 as much as the sticker shock pretty much every time we visit CA.
2009 Holiday Rambler 42' Scepter with ISL 400 Cummins
750 Watts Solar Morningstar MPPT 60 Controller
2014 Grand Cherokee Overland

Bob

hotpepperkid
Explorer
Explorer
TANDDANDBIGE wrote:
Add to the RVer's problem is that if you tow anything you are supposed to stay at 55. That means right lane most of the time...โ€ฆ. which sucks. We are going to snowbird for the first time this year and I am looking at any route besides Ca.. It will depend on the weather at first of Oct., altitudes etc.. We just returned from 2 months down to Yosemite etc. and got beat up both on 99 and I5. Not as bad North of Sac though. TB


I dont vacation in CA not even when I lived there for several reason and the speed limit is one of them
2019 Ford F-350 long bed SRW 4X4 6.4 PSD Grand Designs Reflection 295RL 5th wheel

TANDDANDBIGE
Explorer
Explorer
Add to the RVer's problem is that if you tow anything you are supposed to stay at 55. That means right lane most of the time...โ€ฆ. which sucks. We are going to snowbird for the first time this year and I am looking at any route besides Ca.. It will depend on the weather at first of Oct., altitudes etc.. We just returned from 2 months down to Yosemite etc. and got beat up both on 99 and I5. Not as bad North of Sac though. TB
2002 HR ENDEAVOR 40'
2007 FORD EDGE TOAD

hotpepperkid
Explorer
Explorer
profdant139 wrote:
How is it that other states with heavy truck traffic are able to design roads that stand up to abuse? I assume that some truckers are over-weight, despite the scales. That is foreseeable. And I assume that it is possible to pave a road to withstand that extra pounding. But in all my travels throughout the West, there is nothing like the Calif highway system, where the right lane is just trashed.

This is not a political issue -- it has to be an engineering issue, at least in part.

The cost of this mess is not only in terms of ruined tires and suspensions. It has to result in more accidents per mile. A blowout on a big rig or an RV is dangerous to everyone.



I suppose the cause of the right lane being trashed is because that is were the truck are required to run in CA. Other states dont have that requirement as well as they dont have split speed limits either
2019 Ford F-350 long bed SRW 4X4 6.4 PSD Grand Designs Reflection 295RL 5th wheel

D_E_Bishop
Explorer
Explorer
profdant139 wrote:
How is it that other states with heavy truck traffic are able to design roads that stand up to abuse? I assume that some truckers are over-weight, despite the scales. That is foreseeable. And I assume that it is possible to pave a road to withstand that extra pounding. But in all my travels throughout the West, there is nothing like the Calif highway system, where the right lane is just trashed.

This is not a political issue -- it has to be an engineering issue, at least in part.

The cost of this mess is not only in terms of ruined tires and suspensions. It has to result in more accidents per mile. A blowout on a big rig or an RV is dangerous to everyone.


For the most part, I agree with profundant139, however, politics do play a huge part and so does design and the change in trucking over the last 50 years.

I believe that the Interstate Highway System standards for construction were very loose, this was in part due to what the COE learned in AK. Try applying common construction standards to a road being built in permafrost. They don't apply and for the most part the geology throughout the country precluded setting absolute standards for the entire system.

California standards were based on lighter trucks carrying lighter loads and fewer truck miles per lane. Allowable weights have risen but to keep cost down, the studies conducted by several think tanks never saw the light of CalTrans engineering offices and CA highways have more truck miles per lane than any other state..

Originally I felt that the feds created the construction standards as they were going to pay for the system but in fact, the states paid over 90 percent of the construction costs. In CA the standards have not really been reassessed and upgraded and for a LONG time there was no maintenance budget and so much damage occurred during those years that it will take decades before we catch up with the maintenance needed.

Yes there is a lot more money being spent on maintenance and reconstruction right now, could that reflect that this is an election year?
"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to go". R. L. Stevenson

David Bishop
2002 Winnebago Adventurer 32V
2009 GMC Canyon
Roadmaster 5000
BrakeBuddy Classic II

Blazing_Zippers
Explorer II
Explorer II
Upon returning North from Morro Bay to Rancho Cordova, we cut across to Hwy 99. 99 has quite a few improvements being worked on currently. I wonder if I-5, being an Interstate, is being left out of the mix?
As an "old" resident of California, the portions of the state we traveled this year have degraded with regard to trash, highways, and living conditions. No one seems to care. Sad!
At the campground we're staying at--the neighbor was quick to point out that he drove "high." Often. So much for respecting the rights of the families he comes in contact with. His rig and car is not currently registered.
This is NOT a political statement, but one on society in general.

profdant139
Explorer II
Explorer II
Thanks, Paul! Very informative.
2012 Fun Finder X-139 "Boondock Style" (axle-flipped and extra insulation)
2013 Toyota Tacoma Off-Road (semi-beefy tires and components)
Our trips -- pix and text
About our trailer
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single list."

paulj
Explorer II
Explorer II
Many miles of Interstate were built with concrete slabs which have tended to shift with use. Often one end tips down a bit, the other up. When a heavily loaded truck tire crosses from the up end of one slab to the next, it drops and puts further downward pressure on the next. The result is a sawtooth surface. If the period of that surface coincides with the RV suspension tuning the ride can be very rough.

On a different scale it's like the washboard that can develop with use on a gravel road. The click-clack of railways is also caused by the same thing - the move from loaded rail to an unloaded one.

States have been trying to fix this problem for decades.

The most effective, but expensive, fix is to tear up the road bed, and pour new slabs with some sort of ties to keep them in line. And with a heavier duty base. In the 1980s I drove Montana freeways where all traffic was on one side, while they rebuilt the other.

A more common fix is cut slots in the adjacent slabs, and install tie rods (dowels) to link the slabs. You want to keep them in line vertically, but still allow for horizontal motion (temperature expansion and contraction). I saw that being done on Illinois freeways in the 1980s. This still requires closing lanes for quite some time.

A quicker, but somewhat temporary fix, is to grind down the road surface to remove the steps, and lay down a layer of asphalt. Grinding and reapplying asphalt is relatively fast and cheap, and can be done without long term closures.

For smaller jumps, such as at bridge approaches, engineers have developed an injection fix - holes are drilled in the slab, and precise quantities of some sort of grout or polymer are injected, bringing slab(s) back into alignment.

I'm sure California engineers know about all these methods (and may have pioneered some), and used them where feasible, and funding allows.

The problems with Donner Pass mentioned in another I80 thread are different. There, apparently, truck traffic, especially with chains, has worn grooves in the pavement. These are probably ok if your wheels fit the grooves (as other trucks) but uncomfortable if one wheel is in a grove, and other rides in and out.

Maintenance like this is a big headache if traffic is heavy. The traffic wears the road faster, but also makes it harder to fix. If there aren't convenient detours, the work has to be done piecemeal, lane by lane, section by section, often at night to avoid disrupting traffic any more than necessary. Urban and mountain freeways tend to be worst.


PolyLevel dealers in California

Federal manual on dowel placement


WSdot on pavement patching and repair