[fintstone]

Originally Posted by David Inc.

It is weird and I don't know how or why it's like this, but check this out on satellite: https://maps.app.goo.gl/EybJ4KQkH95HZ9ea8

That residential road is a mile and a half from the priciest mall in the state. It's a mystery.

But when I'm talking about remote I'm talking about the places I've been through in west NC and TN where there's a town of 50 people at a crossroads over a stream in the middle of nowhere. When something happens there's going to be no motivation from the state to repair that infrastructure unless that crossroads impacts freight through the state. If we're talking dirt roads close to town that become inaccessible to school buses when it snows so those kids just don't get picked up then no, that's a problem.

I would guess those are private roads on private property. The subdivision my home in Virginia is in is similar and has private (but poorly paved) roads. The builder planned it that way to save money. The state/county will take them over/maintain them if the subdivision (HOA) will expand/build them to their standards first. Since the subdivision is large and spread out (10+ acre lots), it would be very expensive to improve them as necessary now (a couple million dollars total). Most residents refuse to have their HOA fees raised that much....so we have to pay for any maintenance/repairs just like in a gated community (ours is not presently gated).

Yes. Wealthy outsiders and their property have no needs to cross these roads. But, I don't see that as the important issue here.

These roads have been barely accessible to school busses as long as I can remember. I well remember the bus turning around and dumping out the kids where the pavement ended when there was snow...and walking home in my sneakers (with holes in the bottom). I usually gave the small kids (6- or 7-year-olds) a ride on my shoulders when it was not too icy. I tried to walk down and get the bus on subsequent days (as I knew it would not come up that stretch), but it was difficult (steep and slippery) and it was almost impossible to time the bus as it also skipped any other slippery dirt roads. Since it was a 2hr bus ride, it was always still dark and cold to get there any earlier and stand for an hour...to only walk the two miles back home to find out school was cancelled or on a 2-hour hold. I usually just stayed home and cut wood, hunted, or read a book on those days. It was bad enough that it was that way in the 60s/70's... but this is 2025. Kids should not have to suffer to go to school.