Death of dirt roads? And what does that mean for dirt road riding?

[FlashUNC]

I thought this was interesting, and curious the perspectives of many folks on the board here.
My home state is currently working feverishly to pave every last bit of unpaved, state maintained gravel and dirt roads. I find it interesting this comes at a time when dirt road rides seem to be the new "in" thing, with classics like Strade Bianche popping up, and domestic races like the Battenkill being pretty huge draws. Even the major manufacturers are now making bikes that cater to this kind of road riding.

Heck, I've even signed up for D2R2's 115k loop this fall with a couple buddies from Boston. (If anyone has suggestions on equipment, I'm all ears. Current thought is my Redline cross bike with Challenge Parigi-Roubaix tires.)

But are we reaching the end of the line for dirt roads in some places, just as this seems to be taking off? I know to prep for D2R2, I've wanted to get in some dirt road rides here, but the closest state maintained dirt roads are two counties over -- according the state DOT maps -- and those might already have been paved since the maps were last updated.


http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/...-pave-its.html