Originally Posted by
cyccommute
I moved my gearing a bit after a few tours in the eastern US. Out here I need it because of the altitude (our low point is higher than many states high point). Our paved roads don’t tend to be that steep because we don’t want to be sliding off the road all the time and we can actually see where our roads go so people tend to freak out if a wall suddenly appears out of no where. Eastern US roads don’t seem to follow that logic.
A squirrel went up the hill that a way once.
Then a fox followed the squirrel.
A few years later a deer went up the hill.
And a bear.
An Indian followed the game trail to climb the mountain.
Years after that, a pioneer went over the mountain using the same trail.
He came back and led the settlers over that trail. After they settled, they pulled a few of the bigger rocks out of the way.
When the area was settled, the county came in, pulled out a few more rocks, and paved the road.
Eastern roads are historical, you see.
Why'd they do it like that? Well, a counter example is U.S. 321 between Maryville and Townsend. If I've got the story straight, the state of Tennessee had firm fixed price contracts with four contractors to blast and build a nicely graded road. The first three went bankrupt, which is why it took four contractors. Takes a lot of money to build straightened roads that are stable.