"Smooth Roads"... hah

Intersting oped in Pocono Record

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Frankly Speaking: Be careful of the roads you wish for
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September 04, 2011
There's a new medical category of road rage.
I call it Construction Obstruction Fury.
We've got it and it's madness, I tell you.
For this we have none other than the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to thank.
Everywhere you drive in Monroe County, you're faced with road work and the resulting tie-ups.
Monroe has no less than 13 state-run road projects under way at this very moment. That includes four on Interstate 80 alone.
It also includes the legendary Marshalls Creek Bypass, a dream that's been around longer than rock n' roll.
Construction Obstruction Fury has many symptoms.
Irritability, billboard seduction and decreased sexual drive.
You ever notice when the flaggers hold up that sign that says "Stop?" They have no sense of time. You could floss and file your taxes while you're waiting.
My least favorite project is the Seventh Street Bridge replacement in Stroudsburg. It lies directly in my path between work and Starbucks. That's like blocking my route to the emergency room.
To make matters worse, this onslaught of road work has come during the summer months, a key period for the tourism-based Poconos economy.
Nothing worse than inviting guests and then making it hard for them to get around. It's not exactly a recipe for return visits.
But wait. Maybe there is something worse. Like bad roads.
And we've had them.
As the self-appointed Vice President of Whining, I can't count how many times I've written about local roads and frankly speaking, my family doesn't want to hear it anymore.
Isn't improved roads what we want?
These projects will result in safer roads. Who among us could argue that the repair of crumbling bridges isn't a critical safety issue?
We have four of those projects going on now. Left alone, any one could turn into a disaster.
And what about the paving of Interstate 80 and Route 33 across the county?
The roadways are primary commercial routes and provide access to our critical recreational amenities.
Tourism is the area's top industry. Paving makes the roads safer and encourages commerce, which creates jobs and improves the lives of local folk.
So for those suffering from this insidious disorder, I recommend some therapy.
Sit back and picture smooth roadways, sturdy bridges, less in-town gridlock and a goosed economy.
As the grand county grumbler, I say quit your whining.
And if you see a PennDOT worker, tell them you appreciate their effort. Or hand them a Starbucks coffee.

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I wonder if he has driven the "smooth" roads that have been paved? Rt 33 is as bad now as when they paved it, some areas worse. Everything they did last year is going to have to be redone and since they didn't both doing near any bridges you have a horrible dip / potholes ever few miles...

Smooth roads would be nice, but I'm not picky... just do it right the first fucking time!

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Originally Posted by Dredly

Intersting oped in Pocono Record



I wonder if he has driven the "smooth" roads that have been paved? Rt 33 is as bad now as when they paved it, some areas worse. Everything they did last year is going to have to be redone and since they didn't both doing near any bridges you have a horrible dip / potholes ever few miles...

Smooth roads would be nice, but I'm not picky... just do it right the first fucking time!

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LOL!! I've lived in this county for 20 years. I've had my license for the last 9. Ever since I can recall being out on the roads myself, the same sections of the highway, ramps, and locations, have been under construction. If not every year, then every other year. The stretch of 209 merging into 33, then 33 through the snydersville area has been under construction almost every summer since I can remember. Why in gods name does this happen? Why can't it be done properly the first time? It looks like penn dot spent an extra long time sipping coffee and hanging out at these areas this summer, so maybe it will be two or three years before we see them there again.. instead of the traditional yearly camp out.

Be glad of what you got, I drive over the road semi truck and there are alot worse roads in other states. Oklahoma, Arkansas will bounce a Made of Steel full cup of coffee out of the cup holder.

There are only two seasons; Winter and Construction. They often blur together at the edges.

i can't count the number of times they've patched the holes in the bridge at the corner of 209 and seven bridges rd.
41.041926,-75.128656

although the one day i drove through the marshalls creek work, they shut the road right behind me and blasted, that was cool, not as loud as you'd think...
i'm thinking that this time, they'll finally finish the project. end my daily detour through mt.nebo or frutchy/hollow/river

is it just me or does penndot seem to have a thing for, "lets watch this bridge collapse" as opposed to "we should probably fix that this decade"?

Yep it's a good portion of the US. There are places up north where the frost heaves will blow out a disc. I knew a guy that got tossed so hard it blew out the airbag on his bostrom seat and he ruptured a disc. It was either NY or VT.

The problem is road specs and lowest bidder. I Germany the Autobahn was built with enough base that a jet could be landed on it during the war. Contractors also have to warranty their work over their for many years and do repairs on their own dime if they fail.
Here we have corruption and bid rigging.........

Anyone see the awesome artwork on the southbound bridge on 33? (the one they replaced 10 years ago when the old one sank)?

it looks like some kid took a can of orange spray paint and made a cool looking jigsaw puzzle...


which would be great... until you realize it wasn't a kid, it was some guy outlining all the parts that need replaced! would have been easier to just throw out buckets of paint and everything it touched needs replaced... I'm sure that project will wait till next year though