Manhole covers - where are they located on your streets?

[tturedraider]

I’ve been wondering this for a while. In Chicagoland there are an enormous number of manhole covers. Sometimes three or four or five grouped together. And frequently they are an inch or more lower than the level of the pavement. About 95% of them are located on either the left or right side of the lane, so that without making unnatural swerves either your left or right tires drive directly over them. I have never experienced this to any significant degree anywhere else I have lived. For the most part my experience before moving here was that manhole covers were located either in the center of the lane so your wheels straddled them or they were right in the center of the road where the double lines are painted.

Are any of your localities like this with tons of off center manhole covers?

[cmyx6go]

I feel your pain. I also travel a road that has them grouped close together. They recently repaved the road, and the manholes are now lower than the roadway. I can't dodge them unless I go into the oncoming lane.

[xander_g]

There is no method to the madness that is Toronto infrastructure

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by cmyx6go

I feel your pain. I also travel a road that has them grouped close together. They recently repaved the road, and the manholes are now lower than the roadway. I can't dodge them unless I go into the oncoming lane.

[freakystyly]

On my commute I have a section of newly torn up road with new sewers with perfect heights. Too bad it's only about 500 ft long...

Then a few roads over another newly paved section with 2 inch drops and covers every 5 feet. It must depend on the crew.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by tturedraider

In Chicagoland there are an enormous number of manhole covers. And frequently they are an inch or more lower than the level of the pavement. About 95% of them are located on either the left or right side of the lane, so that without making unnatural swerves either your left or right tires drive directly over them.

Are any of your localities like this with tons of off center manhole covers?

It's the same here; I drive around them unless it's not possible. I find it's almost always possible.

It may sometimes look to other drivers like I'm practicing autocross, but that's the way it goes.

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Then there's the occasional stretch of local street that is in just awful shape...except in the parking lane. So, when the parking lane is open for a half-block or more, that's the place I drive my car for a few seconds.

[R BMW]

Most are on the driving line.

[Esteban]

On my little cul-de-sac they're in the center of the street. They don't bother me at all. The street was just paved and the manholes are at the same level as the street so nice and smooth.

The thing that I hate are the damn potholes on the main streets.

I haven't had any damage yet but it's not uncommon for people to get blowouts, cracked rims and damaged suspension parts from the bad condition of some of the main roads around here.

[tranquility]

I don't think there's a science, smart thinking or technique and they just place them wherever, they don't care, at least at the various places I've driven in N Amer. Maybe you'd find better luck in Japan or Germany where presumably they'd put much better thought in road design. I mean, we have freaking roundabouts where they planted HUGE greenery blocking crucial sightlines, just basic road planning 101 fail smh.

[vreihen16]

The manhole covers near my employer are placed at different places in the lane, and all recessed below the asphalt. After three decades of driving that same road every week day, I have navigating that mine field down to a science.

The bigger problem for me the past 6 months is the crumbling utility infrastructure under the roads. I had to make three detours before I could get to the main entrance at work yesterday, because the water department, gas company, and a paving crew all conspired to block the roads around my employer. When I was leaving this afternoon, the route that I took yesterday was closed because of a sewer break.....

[TheWatchGuy]

as an infrastructure contractor whos done several pipelines down roads, i can tell you most times, they try to get them out of the way as much as possible. Off to the sides, middle of the lane, etc. so they arent constantly getting ran over.

However, especially in long established cities, its just not always feasible due to other utilities in the area. Most manholes are at least 48" diameter, if not bigger, so you have to place them where they'll fit.

as for them sitting lower than the road, thatll happen over time as the area gets paved and repaved. and a lot of engineers/city planners would rather them low than high. asphalt eventually compacts and you dont want a lip of a manhole sitting above the pavement.

[Z K]

For my area, in San Francisco, the manhole covers are usually higher than the rest of the road. When repaving the road, they dig around it and then lay down new asphalt around it. The new asphalt is usually level in height but it compacts down from road traffic. The manhole cover and concrete surround will stick a few inches higher than the rest of the road because of that. High car traffic along with lengthy periods between repavings mean these manhole covers can get pretty extreme. It is unpleasant to drive over at low speed but if you hit it at any higher speed, it can damage your car. That said, many manhole covers are usually on the sidewalk as the city is very old and sidewalks existed before paved roads did.

Then there are the potholes and chunks of broken asphalt that other cars can kick up at your car... but that's a different story. Besides Manhattan, SF is one of the least car friendly places to be. Priority is on bike lanes and public transit.