Construction Zone

Is it just me or does it seem like we are always experiencing road construction?

In West Knoxville, there is the on-going Interstate 40 project in Knox County to expand the ramp from I-140 and smooth out west-bound traffic flow. Out in Roane County, there have been a couple projects around my old stomping grounds at Exit 347 (and just west of there). Closer to home, the area on I-40 just past Campbell Station is a construction zone.

Those are a few projects in our county. Imagine what it’s like state-wide. Or expand that to the southeast region of the U.S. Now think about how much is going on from sea to shining sea!

About the only place I haven’t seen road construction recently is my own street (and we could use some as you can see by this deep depression at the end of our road).

Back when the Campbell Station Road expansion was going on, local residents seemed fed up with the pace. I remember a couple callers to the Farragut Press’ Presstalk feature expressed their displeasure. Eventually, the project was completed.

Now, merchants along Western Avenue have taken to the airwaves to complain about the slow progress of a massive project. WBIR covered the story yesterday.

I drove through that stretch of highway about a month ago and I noted that it didn’t look a lot different than the previous time I had driven through about six months earlier. I asked a couple of the guys at work – fellows who live in that neck of the woods – and they confirmed that, yes, the work isn’t proceeding quickly. 

I guess that is why business owners said, in essence, enough’s enough.

Road construction, it seems, is both a necessary evil and a sign of progress. When the Eisenhower Interstate System was devised, there were just fewer cars on the road. Now, it seems, we have grown to a point at which our infrastructure is stretched fairly thin.  Plus, a sign of economic progress in our nation is the growth in terms of new businesses and residential developments that contribute to our suburban sprawl.

Add to that the fact that some of our roads and bridges are in disrepair and it seems the work is timely.

Having said all that, I hate traffic as much as the next guy. Nothing will send my blood pressure soaring faster than being caught in some traffic snag, the cause of which is often unexplained. I have just trained myself to try not to let the slowdown get me down.

And I think that is the essence of what I’m trying to say today. These road projects are here to stay. In a growing, dynamic country, infrastructure has to grow to meet the demand. 

Extra lanes to carry additional traffic; new on-ramps to merge flow more smoothly. It’s all a good thing. We just have to remember to leave our house a few minutes early to compensate for the gridlock. And it helps to be full of good cheer.

So, the next time you get caught in traffic, just tune your car radio to your favorite channel, sit back and enjoy the music!

JG

Originally posted 9/23/2014