Ol' Great One of the Roadways: My granddaughter Zoe lives in Pollard and wants Nana and Pawpaw to visit often. We live in Vilonia and travel U.S. 67 to Walnut Ridge and then cut across to Pollard. When will the new section of 67 North from Arkansas 226 to Walnut Ridge be opened? -- A Needed Pawpaw
Dear Pawpaw: Bless your ol' thumpin' gizzard. Zoe's, too. Where's the photo? Next time, send photo.
What we have here is a project started in June 2012 to construct pavement for 9.9 miles of U.S. 67 in Lawrence County at a cost of $20 million. Completion date is early 2016.
Now, about Pollard. The Mahatma likes to think he's been everywhere in Arkansas, but not to Pollard, population 222 in Clay County, as far northeast as you can go without being in Missouri.
Vanity plate seen around town: BETRHAF. (Must ... not ... make ... remark ...)
Dear Mahatma: What are those concrete cones on Main Street between Third and Fourth streets? There are a bunch of them. -- Downtown Worker
Dear Downtown: We saw those, too, and the deep depressions in which trees are planted. We figured it was all part of the grand downtown drainage project, and we were sort of right.
For a complete answer, we turned to Jon Honeywell, the city's public works director.
He said the raised domes in the plaza area of the Main Street project delineate where vehicles are to travel on the street. The north half of the Fourth and Main intersection now has a level surface between the sidewalk and the vehicle lanes, the better to encourage pedestrianism and to create a traffic calming effect.
(The Mahatma has walked across Main at this spot several times lately. It's a little weird not to have a curb, but we'll adapt.)
Now, about those depressions. They're rain gardens, or bioswales, and are being installed on several blocks of Main as part of the water-quality project. The idea is to better collect and filter storm runoff before it goes into the storm sewer system and then into the Arkansas River. Stormwater collects in the gardens, percolates through the vegetation and soil, and then goes into the storm sewers.
Vanity plate seen on a Mini Cooper: MRYPPNS. As in Mary Poppins.
Actions do have consequences. Actions such as drinking and driving during the holiday season. It's great to have parties. Not so great to be one of the 57 people arrested for DWI on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 by the Arkansas State Police.
Or the 331 people arrested for DWI by troopers from Dec. 12 through Jan. 2, a period during which the state police engaged in enhanced enforcement.
Every year, without fail, the state police crack down during this time. The knowledge is, or should be, common. In fact, as Christmas follows Thanksgiving, this column reminds readers to ease up on the hooch or give up the keys.
Looks like 331 drivers didn't get the message.
Vanity plate seen on a black Audi convertible: GOKATGO.
Mahatma@arkansasonline.com
Metro on 01/17/2015