Road construction on Veterans Memorial worries me. I live just off of Veterans Memorial so I drive the road pretty much everyday. Anytime I see construction signs go up on any route I take regularly I get a sick feeling my stomach. I remember several years ago when the widening of Campbell Lane nearly shut that area of town down. Several small businesses went out business because people simply could not get to them.
Of course the construction and widening of Campbell Lane had to be done, as does the construction on Veterans Memorial, but isn’t there a better way to do highway construction? I know a lot of larger cities do construction at night when traffic is the least. When I was younger I remember a detour road being built to bypass pretty much all of the construction going on in that particular area (I do not remember the area) and the construction area shut down to regular traffic. I know that cost more money, but if road construction shuts down small business’ then isn’t it worth it?
The other night my wife was driving on Veterans Memorial and another car swerved into her lane. She was able to swerve onto the shoulder and barely avoided the other car, but had she been 100 more feet down the road there would not have been a shoulder for her to pull off on to avoid the other car. Construction crews had already narrowed the lane just ahead.
Maybe there is nothing we can do to make road construction safer and better for everyone (I’m also thinking of the road crews having to work around speeding cars). Maybe all possibilities have been considered. I have a hard time believing that, but it is possible. Something’s are just necessary evils I guess.
