Dear Mahatma: A curiosity question more than anything, and I realize there's a major construction project taking place, but why is there a single divided lane going north across the Interstate 430 bridge? -- Mat
Dear Mat: As the Fabulous Babe has said to us several times, "What's up with that thing with the concrete barriers?"
David Nilles, who explains a lot of things to us on behalf of the Arkansas Department of Transportation, referred back to the weekend of March 5, when the I-430 bridge was closed for two days to accommodate construction on Arkansas 10, also known as Cantrell Road. The single lane was created for 24-7 access to emergency vehicles during the closure.
No more closure, but the lane remains open.
Dear Mr. Mahatma: I can't wait for the new intersection at Cantrell Road and Interstate 430 to be completed, plus the extra lane on its bridge across the Arkansas River! Wow, I'm going to get to the congested one-lane ramp trying to go east on Interstate 40 so fast! Please tell me this will be fixed in my lifetime. -- Andrew
Dear Andrew: Oh, the places you'll go. But not on a second lane off I-430 to I-40 toward North Little Rock. Alas, David Nilles, a spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Transportation, reported no plans on the books to expand that bottleneck.
That could change, but we don't know your age, Andrew. In this household, we joke about living long enough to seen the completion of the 30 Crossing project, the biggest part of which is to replace the Interstate 30 bridge over the Arkansas River. We cross that bridge once or twice a week and marvel at the work, not only on the bridge but on the adjacent and connecting on-ramps, off-ramps, highways and city streets.
We find it amusing to say that, at the Biblical three score and ten, we have one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel. Now good news: Mr. Nilles has told us the 30 Crossing construction crews have been warned about the banana peel, and have been advised to pick up the pace.
Oh, yeah, lest we forget, completion date for the project is January 2025. Feels like forever, huh?
Faster, fellas! Faster!
Dear Roadway Visionary: Is it my imagination, or do all folks under 40 walk on the right side of streets without sidewalks, while those over 40 walk on the left? Did schools stop teaching the need to walk against traffic when busing became the norm? -- Pavement Pedestrian
Dear Pave Ped: Yes, it is just your imagination, running away with you. Channeling the Temptations there, which puts us in a certain demographic. Remember the guy with the big glasses?
The rule, to be followed by pedestrians of any age, is to walk facing traffic when walking in a street. Everybody knows this, but sometimes people of all ages forget.
Fjfellone@gmail.com