which road to take (conditions)

[mangomike]

Hi
There are road conditions and there is what condition is the road in?
I'm trying to find out the condition of some roads we want to travel this summer.
There is no lack of traffic,ice,snow,construction,Etc. info (all good) BUT what I would like to know about ,potholes, road ruts, just plain bad road condition from a maintenance perspective.
The newest info I could find on RVnet is from 2010 pretty much worthless.
Anyway you get the idea(Two roads diverged in a yellow wood ) . And ,yes I know almost any major highway in the US has its problems. But I'd still like to pick the least worst! And,I'm hoping there is a simple way to do this . With out contacting each DOT in each state. Besides I'd like an RV's point of view ,but I'll take any view.
Thanks for any help.
Michael

[Davydd]

I like to take the road I think would might be more interesting. Otherwise interstate roads or map indicators of what type of road are probably the most reliable and fastest way. You can't rely on gas reports which there is an app for it let alone road conditions from a multitude of differing government entities that have no need to coordinate with other agencies unless the Federal government passes a law to and you as a taxpayer want to pay for it, or RV members, like the gas app, that there will be timely information. You just have to make a judgment and rely on news reports or you're own knowledge of the area after spring thaw and rains mostly. My map app warns me if there are gravel roads or toll roads on my route. I was warned ahead of time the Alaskan Highway had pot holes and road work because you could expect it every spring. Road closures and detours can pop up after choosing a route. I just know Texas back roads, from experience, generally are worse compared to the Midwest. That is just my opinion but I put up with them.

[Nspekter]

It’s really hard to find that kind of information. We drove I-80 through Wyoming last month and Google maps kept routing us off the interstate. I checked WYDOT and they said it was open but had some road damage which was accurate. There were several stretches with lots of potholes but they all had warning signs before them and the left lane was generally better.
I have found that the state DOT websites have the most accurate information but make it difficult to find. An app that consolidates and combines that data with routings would be great.

[@Michael]

Originally Posted by Nspekter

An app that consolidates and combines that data with routings would be great.

Phones have accelerometers. Too bad they're not sensitive enough to detect rough roads (or are they?). Then Google Maps could factor that in when routing.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by @Michael

Phones have accelerometers. Too bad they're not sensitive enough to detect rough roads (or are they?). Then Google Maps could factor that in when routing.

They are plenty sensitive enough. The problem is that you are going to get very different readings from a phone in somebody's pocket vs one sitting on a seat vs one clamped to the dash. Calibration would be a challenge. Interesting idea, though.

[NAZCamperVan]

Mango Michael, Seems those sort of 'conditions' are mostly anecdotal. Due to the brutal winter and snowloads at higher elevations in the West, many highway surfaces are in rough shape, ie I-40 across northern Arizona and I-17 south of Flagstaff.

[Davydd]

As I said you will put up with any road condition if you want to be there. We drove the Top of the World highway from Chicken,AK to Dawson City, Yukon a gravel road in not to good of condition for 90 miles you could see 360 deg. As far as you can see on mountain tops. I would do it again as there is nothing else like it.