This morning I left my house headed to my favorite department store down the street from my home. As I neared the intersection where I would turn right, I noticed that the county was working on replacing the blacktop on the six lane thoroughfare that I needed to take. As I merged into the only remaining lane headed the direction I needed to go, I could see the frustration on the faces of the drivers around me.

The blacktop had been removed and at least 30 county workers were diligently preparing the rough surface for new asphalt. Traffic was virtually at a standstill as two flagmen tried to control the flow of angry drivers through the busy, congested intersection. I was completely amazed by the utter disregard for the guys in green repairing the roadway. One car nearly ran a flagman down to take a left across the stop-and-go traffic when a “No Left Turn” sign was clearly posted. Another driver moved into a closed turn lane to get around the stopped traffic, causing one of the large street sweepers to wait for the vehicle to get out of the way before he could continue preparing the surface for new asphalt.

We all know how inconvenient it is to be trapped in road construction but it is a part of life. Without asphalt repairs and resurfacing of our paved roads, the bulk of drivers would complain endlessly about the county’s neglect! Commercial paving contractors, county and city road workers have a job to do and the intention is not to inconvenience drivers but to improve the driving experience overall with quality roads. Respect those men and women who put their lives in danger every day as they work for us to keep our highways and byways nice and smooth by practicing just a little patience when confronted with unavoidable road construction.