Dear Crabby,
Before life as we knew it came to a grinding halt, there was road construction everywhere. Nowadays, I occasionally see a patch crew. It seems with less traffic that now would be the perfect time to get the bulk of the road work completed. Is it not considered ‘essential?’ What am I missing here?
Thanks!
Arnold Autobahn
Dear Arnold Autobahn,
You make an excellent observation. It seems like only yesterday, that I was musing whether or not the construction in our state would ever be finished. You name a road or expressway, and it was torn up. In fact, in one of my last posts for 2019, I was asked what my hopes were for 2020. Talk about the irony of 2020 and hindsight. Anyway, one of my New Year’s wishes was for Baldwin Road to finally be finished and for the Joslyn Road exits on I-75 open again. I haven’t been over by Great Lakes Crossings in ages, so I have no idea if any construction is going on. Can you imagine projects getting done so that when the state does open back up again people can actually go places? That would be great, but as with everything in our lives these days, it’s complicated.
The good news is that currently road workers are considered essential employees. Apparently there was some confusion early on whether or not they were. From what I’ve read there are funds already committed to federal, state, and local projects. Naturally, delaying them would just cause major headaches further down the road. Even so, some of the workers on these projects aren’t exactly thrilled to be putting their health at risk. Some even point out to effectively do their job they need those N95 masks of which there is already a shortage. I want people to be safe, but darn it, I want smooth roads too! I’m not used to caring this much. It’s very unsettling. The head-scratching part is that while road workers are deemed essential, workers on construction projects are not. So right now there are various projects stuck in limbo. Mostly, around my old stomping grounds of Detroit. It seems the same line of thinking would apply to both types of work: get stuff done now while there is minimal interruption so people can enjoy the finished products when we’re allowed to go places again. But the powers that be have chosen not to seek out my wisdom. Their loss.
Incidentally, April 20 – 24 is National Work Zone Awareness Week. So, if you are one of those other types of essential workers still making a morning and evening commute and you do see workers out, be kind and watch your speed. If you’re curious about what construction is still going on, I suggest you check out the websites for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) to see what’s happening in your area. I just hope we all remember how to get places once we’re finally allowed out because as of now I’m gonna need Siri’s help to find my way out of my subdivision!
I hope that answers your question. Be safe out on there.
Dear Crabby