# WARNING: Central NJ's Higginsville and Van **** Roads chip sealed



## since17 (Aug 8, 2008)

Great rides on Sunday and yesterday were spoiled by tons of gravel poured over Van **** Road (just north of Hopewell/518) and Higginsville (west of Flemington). 

Higginsville is pretty compacted but there's still loose patches and a lot of dust. 

Van **** is a mess. Very slow going on road tires, the only saving grace being that it's basically flat. Stoney Brook which intersects near Snydertown Road might also have gotten the gravel treatment, we were on that only long enough to turn onto Snydertown, which is an awesome road, too bad it's only a mile long.


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## Edgecrusher (Jan 12, 2006)

Yea, Higginsville has been chipped for about 4 weeks now.
Un-friging believable.
It did suck bad that first week to, TT'd on it with the Century Road Club
of America a few weeks ago.

You know, it's just typical corrupt politics and governmental breakdown
that produces this kind of garbage. Hunterdon County has the HIGHEST
property taxes per capita in the state. NJ is the 3rd or 4th wealthiest in the
Nation, and NJ as a state has the highest property taxes in the Country.

Yet, we have some of the WORST roads in the Country, this not an opinion -
this is fact according to the NTSB. We suck, because we let our corrupt officials
(from the local pricks and school boards up to the state house)
keep on f***ing us year after year while they increase their bank accounts
they deplete the State of its resources. It is downright disgusting and sickening.

As one of the richest states in the nation, with the highest property taxes, there
should be NO CHIPPED roads, period. There should be NO toll increases
either, but they feed the bulls**t to the masses in the state and most fall for it.
We are getting screwed in so many different and unfair ways by Trenton.

This was once a great state to live in for all its citizens, many decades ago, sadly 
it is no longer a place where the average middle and lower middle income class can carve out a decent future. 
It has become a state for the very wealthy and very poor. Very sad indeed, very sad. I love so many things about NJ, 
but it is almost impossible to survive here on a lower-middle income salary.


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## ruger9 (Feb 5, 2004)

2 of my friends (both cyclcists) have moved out of the state for those reasons. And a 3rd friend is thinking about it. I would have left this sorry excuse for a state a long time ago, but my wife won't leave because her family is here. And I love my wife more than I hate NJ.

Out here in Warren country the chipped roads are popping up all over the place as well. They are OK once the loose gravel is gone, but I did a descent down Point Mountain the other day that scared the sh!t out of me, due to it being freshly chipped. My rims have never been so hot. I should have turned around and found another way down...


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## ptf (Jul 19, 2008)

this is pretty pathetic that we are complaining about chipped roads- There are alot of great roads in new jersey - if the road is to rough for you sensitive ones, find another place to ride. sheesh!


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## Edgecrusher (Jan 12, 2006)

Yea, call me sensitive to getting f**cked in the a** everyday in the form of property taxes, road taxes, gas taxes and the all-time takes the cake; inflated school budgets. Sorry I can't sympathize with you ptf, but I'm sure you must make six figures or above and perhaps don't give a second thought about guys like me and ruger9, or the hundreds of thousands like us in NJ.

Why should you, you probably make a very good income, have the ability to pay all your bills and mortgage and feed your family, while actually SAVING money in the bank, and probably go on a vacation or two. So forking over the f**king outrageous taxes here in NJ just doesn't mean a whole lot to you and people that share your pov. 

I understand, partly because you may be insulated and out of touch with the reality of people such as myself and many, many others like me who earn under *30K* per year, with kids in college and many financial obligations to boot.
I'm just trying to keep my head above the water so to speak - but the state makes it so very difficult and it can get very frustrating.

Sadly, if things do not change, NJ will become a very different place to reside in 10 or more years. There will be a lot more of the poor or borderline poor citizens who will place an enormous burden on the government and consequently the wealthy of this state. Only until the wealthy realize that they will paying much, much more in tax dollars to subsidize the feeding and housing of the poor - then maybe just maybe things change. Only the wealthy can make changes, with payoff's to lobbyists and politicians. Voting has become a cruel joke. 

Your reaction just further reflects the serious lack of understanding of the plight of the lower-middle class income earners of this state. My post was not really about riding on chipped roads, but I guess you did not want to try and understand the underlying meaning of it. 

Geez, I'm not complaining about riding on chipped roads so much as I am about _*WHY*_ we are riding on chipped roads.
There is a huge difference man. I could take the chipped roads if they weren't in million dollar neighborhoods and multi million dollar counties.


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## ptf (Jul 19, 2008)

yikes - apparently I touched a nerve. I am not making 6 figures, and I am struggling like the rest of us, however, I am not going to sit here and whine about it. If you hate NJ that much, hit the road, their are plenty of cheaper places to live, probably with dirt roads and crappy schools. I hope with your 30k salary and kids in college, you are not driving a $2500 bike!

honestly, I mean no disrespect, and I don't want to continue to argue the point - but theirs gotta be something better to talk about in this forum than the condition of a road in Hopewell...


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## ruger9 (Feb 5, 2004)

The thread was started as a cautionary announcement, and was appreciated. NEWLY-chipped roads can be dangerous on a road bike. And just plain NO FUN.


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## Edgecrusher (Jan 12, 2006)

ptf said:


> yikes - apparently I touched a nerve. I am not making 6 figures, and I am struggling like the rest of us, however, I am not going to sit here and whine about it. If you hate NJ that much, hit the road, their are plenty of cheaper places to live, probably with dirt roads and crappy schools. I hope with your 30k salary and kids in college, you are not driving a $2500 bike!
> 
> honestly, I mean no disrespect, and I don't want to continue to argue the point - but theirs gotta be something better to talk about in this forum than the condition of a road in Hopewell...


You're damn f**king right you touched a nerve.
Apparently, you do not bother to read entire posts or bother to try and understand them, but that is typical of many posters on most forums. Nowhere did I say I hate NJ. I was born here, raised here and happen to like many aspects of living in NJ. But the cost to live here is outrageous and rising everyday. 
Whining? no, I'd say I'm screaming about it. 

Your remarks about dirt roads and crappy schools just further shows a serious unawareness to the real issues - which is corruption. It seems you are one of the many who have been fooled into thinking that throwing tons of money at a problem fixes it. Oh if it were only that simple - like your line of thinking apparently. I get the feeling you are rather young, and do not have a family of your own (i.e. wife and kids) I most certainly could be wrong, but that is the general tone I perceive.

When we pay such outrageous taxes and still have to put up with inferior
infrastructures then yes, me and my $1,600 bike really do mind riding on dirt and stone roads. Sorry if you don't get that...but then again, you must not be in a tough financial situation. 

It is always the people that are not truly struggling that have the most illogical comments to make. I'm going to assume that you at least make a sufficient amount of money, and do not have to worry about food and utility bills every single month.

You claim you are struggling, but I somehow suspect struggling in your definition is quite different from mine. If you were struggling as I am, I think you wouldn't be defending in such a fervent manner. 

And your last remark, "but theirs gotta be something better to talk about in this forum than the condition of a road in Hopewell"

Without question, reveals the complete lack of care or understanding about the REAL issues that affect NJ residents. You obviously do not have much vested or that much interest in the way our township/county/state governments continue fleecing us on a daily basis. Hey, that is ok, the governments love people like you - hear no evil - see no evil - speak no evil. Just pull the lever.

As much as I enjoy riding as it helps relieve some of the enormous stress I incur, there is much more to life than riding a bicycle. Perhaps one day you might realize that, when you have overwhelming responsibilities without the adequate resources to balance them. 

Until then, I'd ask that you stop making silly statements until you have- been there, done that. It is all too easy to pass judgment on a situation when you have no real understanding of it, and until you have had the experiences, you cannot possibly draw substantial conclusions.


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## ptf (Jul 19, 2008)

what the heck is a "chipped" road anyway?


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## Terex (Jan 3, 2005)

ptf said:


> what the heck is a "chipped" road anyway?


It's when you apply fine gravel to a freshly oiled (signs say "Fresh Tar") road. In NJ, many of the historically dirt roads (most of the Sourlands) are maintained by annual application of oil & gravel. Unfortunately, even on many roads that have been paved with asphalt, the maintenance ends up as applying a coat of chip & seal, temporarily ruining an otherwise good bicycling surface.

Mountain Rd. in the Sourlands was paved a few years ago, and then maintained by chip & seal. Rt. 604 through Sergeantsville was recently ruined in this way. Pleasant Valley, Goat Hill, etc., have recently received coats of the nasty stuff.

The gravel depends on what's available in the area, and varies in size and consistency. Some works into the road pretty quick, some others, not so much.


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## jhamlin38 (Oct 29, 2005)

I just started venturing into sourlands and enjoyed it very much. The road i take north off 518 gets steepish, and turns into what seems to be a dirt/gravel road. Is THAT chip/seal?


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## Terex (Jan 3, 2005)

jhamlin38 said:


> I just started venturing into sourlands and enjoyed it very much. The road i take north off 518 gets steepish, and turns into what seems to be a dirt/gravel road. Is THAT chip/seal?


The only road that turns to dirt off of 518 into the Sourlands is Stoney Brook. The part before you get to the dirt is chip seal. Old chip seal look like poor quality asphalt. New chip/seal has LOTS of gravel along the edges, middle and other random spots. As it ages, gravel works into the road base and smooths out more or less depending on the type of gravel used.

The steepest road off of 518 is Spring Hill. The road surface on the steepest part is chip/seal, and is very poorly maintained. That may also be what you mean.

njbikemap.com shows which roads are dirt.


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