Terrible Roads Houston Medical Center Unfortunately, Not

Terrible Roads Houston Medical Center

Unfortunately, not all is well within the context of the Houston Medical Center. Residents and workers alike are being plagued with poor quality roads that are creating a situation where many are at a disadvantage in their own everyday lives. Potholes and poor roads throughout the Houston Medical Center facility are creating many residents and faculty alike to have to put up with poorly constructed roads, and thus potential damage to their own vehicles when driving on roads within the region. It is ridiculous in an era where public funds are being spent across the country for the residents of the Houston Medical Center region to have to continuously put up with such horrible road conditions. This can essentially create a situation where there is damage undertaken by vehicles driving on the premises. Vehicles of all types are being damaged while driving in the region. Moreover, there are financial concerns in that commuters in the area then have the burden of cost when it comes to repairing vehicles damaged. Vehicles are damaged more easily while on such unreliable and horrible road conditions.

Problem Background

Highways and other throughways are popular throughout a number of major metropolitan areas. Since the 1950s, the construction of roads and highways has created an intense urban network of roads that take individuals from the suburbs into more urban areas (Dwight D. Eisenhower Library 2006). Yet, many of the roads that were first established in the middle of the twentieth century are now finding themselves in a state of disrepair. There are a number of potential reasons for the roads in the area suffering as they have, but most of all it has been a neglect of road maintenance duties by both the general public and the local law makers. The Houston Medical Center area has unfortunately seen a great deal of damage to its roadways. In general, the neighborhood has been depreciating in value. This has only increased with the condition of the roads throughout the area. Residents are now looking to migrate to other areas around the greater Houston area. City officials and community activists alike are now looking for potential solutions that include methods for cleaning up the roadways as a way to make the area much more attractive to homeowners and businesses.

Purpose of Proposal

There are a number of reasons why this research is important to the health and well-being of the Huston Medical Center area. Essentially, the research will first explore the potential reasoning for why the roads have gotten so bad in the first place. Thus, there will be an examination as to what potential causes led to the terrible conditions the roads are currently in. Included in this discussion are issues of prior maintenance. Moreover, the research will explore issues within weather patterns to help discern what factors could naturally be contributing to such poor road conditions in the region. Prior research has proven that winter weather can wreak havoc on roads around the country (Kuemnel, 1994). For example, frost could be a major factor -- as during the winter months, any frost that accumulates on the roads can influence the asphalt to crack and splinter, essentially giving birth to a pothole later as water continues to erode the asphalt away during times of rain (Takle 1990). Secondly the type of asphalt used could also be a major contributor to the health and condition of the roads as they stand today. The type of asphalt used is often particular to individual regions (Zakar, 1971). Additionally, the choice in asphalt type can have a huge impact on how well the roads hold up (Schnormeir, 1986). However, most importantly, the purpose of this research is to explore the real impact of the road situation in terms of how it affects the community. Thus, the main question to be answered here is what impact is it having on the community? Getting the community together to do something about the problem is thus the main purpose of the research presented here. Once it is understood how the roads affect the community, it may make a greater impact in how the community members can be invoked in order to rectify the situation and better create a healthier situation for the roads around the Huston Medical Center. Taking into account the knowledge gained from the literature review in order to better find efficient solutions. Conducting road maintenance during the winter months actually has an unintended side effect of increasing the number of accidents during that maintenance (Kuemmel 1994). It is important that strategies to improve the roads are researched and planned out thoroughly, in order to avoid any further harm to the community itself.

Scope of Proposal

Essentially, the scope of this proposal is to work on a local scale to impact the nature and health of the community in question. The primary goal here is to get local governments involved more, since they are the ones that share the burden of maintaining the roads around the medical center anyways. This would therefore include getting officials to devote more local funding and time to repave roads that are most offensive. Moreover, the scope of the project would also focus on gathering together officials and members of the community to work in harmony together, so that the roads are taken care of without the burden of cost falling on a single entity. Additionally, the project will focus primarily on achieving strategies that will undoubtedly provide more safe and secure roads for members of the community to drive on. Yet, there will also be notable limitations which the project will have, including the fact that it may not be able to provoke as much government action as necessary.