TERRA E-News, August 2011, Vol. 5, No. 3
Areas around the country have been feeling the effects of local depletion of aggregates, which has financial and logistical repercussions for road construction and maintenance. The problem, which was described as early as the 1940s, is multifaceted. Some areas in the country do not have the natural deposits of the high-quality gravel needed for road construction. Other areas do have high-quality gravel, but public perception, land-use policies, and conservation efforts restrict access to the aggregates. Any combination of these barriers contributes to local aggregate shortages across most of the country, particularly in urban areas.