• Can be fairly sure they are in the USA.

    To grossly simplify a very expansive topic of concrete vs asphalt, vs bitumen…

    Concrete = more upfront cost, slower to built. It is more durable. Costs more to repair. Less traction. More noisy to drive on due to joints.

    Bitumen = cheapest up front to build. Less durable, but can still get a fairly good life out of it if designed to meet expected loads. Can be repaired more cheaply.

    Asphalt. Middle ground between the two. (It’s effectively bitumen with cement binder added) Most of our freeways, major arterial roads here are asphalt.

    Things that effect the choice: Different CAPEX vs OPEX strategies, especially with politics for public roads.

    Local availability of materials.

    Local environmental conditions i.e. freeze / thaw cycles we don’t have to deal with in most of Australia. High temperatures we do get, which does effect bitumen.

    Fair to say that costs in one country for different labour and materials look a bit different too.

    • ZagorathOP
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      2 days ago

      Huh. I had no idea bitumen and asphalt were even different things.