Dear Mahatma: Why are they already digging up and patching the new section of Interstate 530 between Little Rock and Pine Bluff?
- Golfer Girl 2
Dear GG2: The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department says cracks were seen in the northbound lanes prior to those lanes being reopened to traffic.
Cracks were also found in the pavement in the southbound lanes.
Quoting Snidely Whiplash: Curses, foiled again.
Department specifications, we are told, require that sections in which cracks appear must be removed and replaced at no cost to the taxpayer before the project is accepted.
Dear Mahatma: Is there any hope for the circus known as “Interstate 530” to and from Pine Bluff? Those guys are slower than Christmas, which has been around a couple of times since they started the project.
- Noted Cynic
Dear Cynic: A cynic is said to be someone who sees the world as it really is. Personally, we remain cheerfully optimistic in spite of all evidence to the contrary.
Drivers in need of a morale boost can take a look at iDrivearkansas.com, a website developed by the Highway Department that offers information about highway projects.
This one is 3.8 miles in length, runs from Bingham Road to the Grant County line, will repair 7.4 miles of roadway, rehabilitate two bridges and build three new bridges.
When will it be done?
Estimated completion is midyear. Asked the cynic: Which year? Why, this year.
Dear Mahatma: I drive a Jeep Wrangler and use it to tow a trailer on occasion. A friend who owns a towing company tells me it’s illegal to pull a trailer with a Jeep with a soft top. Is this true?
- David
Dear David: This one is a conundrum, wrapped in an enigma, deep-fried in a riddle.
First stop was the Towing and Recovery Board, which said it doesn’t regulate personal vehicles and trailers such as yours.
Second stop was the Highway Police, which isn’t aware of any such rules or regulations.
Third stop was the Office of Motor Vehicles. No dice there, either.
Fourth stop was to the state traffic code. Our legal research yielded zilch. Our fee, however, is $250 an hour.
Dear One and Only Mahatma: For years I’ve wondered why we don’t change the license plates for motorcycles.
It would be nice to have a different look from what we now have.
- Harley Saddle Bags
Dear Saddle Bags: Roger Duren, administrator of the Office of Motor Vehicles, says there has been no serious consideration to changing the motorcycle plate. The contrast of the plate number to the background makes the plate legible and readable for law enforcement officers, he adds.
Note to readers: We saw this license plate on the Interstate 30 bridge the other day - FXURDOG - which reminds us that Herself would like to see more personalized plates in the column. Because they’re fun and because when she wants something, we make it happen.
Funky and fun vanity plates accepted here.
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 04/26/2014