How many gallons of oil are there on all the roads of the USA?

Question

I always hear how slick the roadways are when it rains, which got me thinking. How much oil is on the roadways anyway and isn't strange that some of the oil we go through such trouble in getting beneath the earth winds up on the roads?

Answer 1

Interestingly enough,oil leakage from motor vehicles can
be seen everywhere we drive. Being a motorcyclist,I see
this and other hazards all the time. On a bike,many hazards
conspire to cause mishaps and mayhem on our roads.
Believe it or not,though, asphalt is made mostly from three ingredients: crude oil/tar,recycled glass chunks,and recycled
tires chopped to bits. So you see,we've been recycling like
this for decades.

Answer 2

The roads themselves are3 MADE of oil..... Tar to be exact... Asphalt is a mixture of tar, sand and crushed rock. It's rolled flat to solidify it so that vehicles can drive over the roads. When it rains, a little bit of the tar comes to the surface looking like oil. Especialy on a newer road surface. Tars are usually unsuitable for burning as most of the volatile compound have been refined out. It's the tar that's usually left over after the refining process And unfortunatgely is the most common polutant with respect to oil pollution in most developed nations due to it's floating tendencies during rain and becoming washed into the ditches and other waterways.

Raji the Green Witch

Answer 3

It's not like the USA has rivers of oil on their roads... It's when it rains the first few minutes or so the roads can become slick. Since oil/water don't mix. In addition to our roads being asphalt and the heat of the sun oil can also become slippery in even small doses. It's not that big of a problem if you are a safe and careful driver...

Answer 4

I wouldn't like to guess on one road never mind all of them

Answer 5

mILLIONS MAYBE