2015 Vt. Rt17 update.

[Uncle Snake]

Sucks. Fucking. Balls.

The good part anyway. I'm going to ebay next to find a tool too pull my testicles back out of my gizzard. God fucking damn does the part that goes over the mountain suck now. The rest of it doesn't really matter............. Fuck!!

[Studio X]

This is why god invented suspensions - especially long travel forks.

Took my truck over it a few days ago as a short cut to Ferrisburg and felt I need to upgrade the shocks to off road versions.


x

[butcher bergs]

It sucked 10 years ago.

[RandyO]

[markbvt]

It's not just the bumps that make it suck now. Even worse are the giant cracks that threaten to swallow a front wheel and send you flying off into a tree.

Ride with caution. This is no longer the peg-scraping fun road it once was. Hopefully the state will see fit to repave it soon.

--mark

[SprintPoser]

I thought the state of Vermont repaved that road about every three years because it gets so bad.

What they really need to do is dig down about three times deeper than the current roadbed and do it over again, the way Germany builds it roads. Scarifying the top layer and repaving just isn't working long term (or even short term) on that road.

[markbvt]

I thought the state of Vermont repaved that road about every three years because it gets so bad.

Nope. It hasn't been repaved in at least ten years. I'm guessing more like 15.

What they really need to do is dig down about three times deeper than the current roadbed and do it over again, the way Germany builds it roads. Scarifying the top layer and repaving just isn't working long term (or even short term) on that road.

Of course that's what they SHOULD do, but it's too expensive. We're lucky if they even scarify the top layer instead of just putting down a skim coat on the existing road.

And this is why Vermont roads can go from freshly-repaved to cracked and frost-heaved in a couple of seasons.

--mark

[Slyder]

Kinda like 232. It was sweet after it was repaved, the next season there were a few frost heaves mid corner in many corners. Last season if you weren't careful, you'd get an express trip into the trees.

I should go check it out, though I know it's worse this year than last.

As for 17, I still can't get over the gray dust silt shit all over the surface. No frost heaves and that road was stupid dangerous with whatever that is all over it. Power slide outta whatever corner I wanted. Fist the throttle bodies and get wheel spin halfway to the next corner.

[RandyO]

Nope. It hasn't been repaved in at least ten years. I'm guessing more like 15.



Of course that's what they SHOULD do, but it's too expensive. We're lucky if they even scarify the top layer instead of just putting down a skim coat on the existing road.

And this is why Vermont roads can go from freshly-repaved to cracked and frost-heaved in a couple of seasons.

--mark

It was repaved in the late summer/early fall of 2009, probably as part of the the Obama make work repaving program, the pic I posted earlier in the thread is spring 2010, fresh pavement as you can see

[Studio X]

Been up and down 232 a couple of times this season and it is bumpy as can be.

x

Kinda like 232. It was sweet after it was repaved, the next season there were a few frost heaves mid corner in many corners. Last season if you weren't careful, you'd get an express trip into the trees.

I should go check it out, though I know it's worse this year than last.

As for 17, I still can't get over the gray dust silt shit all over the surface. No frost heaves and that road was stupid dangerous with whatever that is all over it. Power slide outta whatever corner I wanted. Fist the throttle bodies and get wheel spin halfway to the next corner.

[caloots]

this 232?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/44.2...85!2d44.295089

[markbvt]

Harley rider from MA was killed on the App Gap this past weekend. Don't know the circumstances; he was "thrown from the motorcycle and hit a guardrail."

Hopefully the town will finally overcome their idiotic belief that repaving would be less safe.

--mark

[scottieducati]

Harley rider from MA was killed on the App Gap this past weekend. Don't know the circumstances; he was "thrown from the motorcycle and hit a guardrail."

Hopefully the town will finally overcome their idiotic belief that repaving would be less safe.

--mark

This sh*t is unreal, and injuries or deaths that result of their failure to maintain any semblance of an appropriate road surface should be on their heads and they should be tried with negligence and manslaughter. We have standards for a reason.

[RandyO]

This sh*t is unreal, and injuries or deaths that result of their failure to maintain any semblance of an appropriate road surface should be on their heads and they should be tried with negligence and manslaughter. We have standards for a reason.

"they" is the people of the State of Vermont, where some state highways are still gravel, their standards are different than yours, live with them or die with them, its your choice to drive or ride prudently

[scottieducati]

"they" is the people of the State of Vermont, where some state highways are still gravel, their standards are different than yours, live with them or die with them, its your choice to drive or ride prudently

Doesn't matter what the road is made out of, they should be kept in a state of good repair, period.

[Stromper]

To make a road frost proof is very expensive and they know 17 is just an access road for the locals

[RandyO]

Doesn't matter what the road is made out of, they should be kept in a state of good repair, period.

there are roads a lot worse than Rt 17 that are more important, RT 17 is not your personal race track, its a way for Vermonters to get over the mountain that serves its intended purpose and in much better shape than plenty of Massachusetts roads

[SRTie4k]

My buddy and I did 232 and 17 2 weeks ago.

232 isn't that bad, yeah it's a bit bumpy but it's mostly on the straights. We were still able to scrub our chicken strips off through most of it (when we didn't hit traffic).

17 is straight up painful on the western side. Crash corner and the curves above/below it are downright dangerous due to being so bumpy. I'm glad I did a rear shock conversion, because I'd be dead if I'd had the rotary damper still. The eastern side is way better, however.

125 is my recommendation in that area. The sweet curves on the western side have been freshly repaved and are glorious (we drove it in the Jeep last weekend).

[caloots]

According to weather, 125 is gonna be raining for a Friggen week. 😭. If it clears up next week, I'll probably head there.. is 125 crawling with LEO's ?

[caloots]

is this the 125 you speak of ?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/43.9...72.9515564,11z

[Studio X]

this 232?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/44.2...85!2d44.295089

Yes. From US Rt 2 near Marshfield in the north to US Rt 302 near Groton in the south.

x

[SRTie4k]

According to weather, 125 is gonna be raining for a Friggen week. ��. If it clears up next week, I'll probably head there.. is 125 crawling with LEO's ?

Didn't see a single one up there. IIRC, the only place I've ever seen them on that road is in East Middlebury town, near the bridge (before all the good twisties if you're going east).

[SVRACER01]

did 17 a week ago and it was pretty bad. we were on baggers so it wasnt awful. my buddy had a blast. he said he didnt know roads like that existed around here. he also said if it was smooth, he wouldve double backed the next day to hit it again.
we still had fun

[markbvt]

Didn't see a single one up there. IIRC, the only place I've ever seen them on that road is in East Middlebury town, near the bridge (before all the good twisties if you're going east).

Cops patrol 125 sporadically. I've seen one parked by the Breadloaf campus from time to time, and I've seen them driving along 125. Not often though.

My advice would be to have fun in the twisties but keep speeds sane on the straights, just in case.

Also be advised that the eastern end of 125 is pretty bumpy, but nowhere near as bad as 17.

--mark

[Tcon77]

Looks like they patched up some of the worst sections on the eastbound side. If you are going westbound you are still f*cked.