Dear Mahatma: The Little Rock street department has done a marvelous job with the overlay on Cantrell Road from Junior Deputy to President Clinton Avenue. It's a pleasure to drive on such a smooth main artery toward downtown. Here's my problem: The railroad overpass between Junior Deputy and Dillard's headquarters has a median that's deteriorating and looks deplorable. Why is it in that condition, and who is in charge of a repair? -- Grumpy Larry
Dear Larry: The Mahatma drives over this much nicer road on the way to the golf course at Rebsamen Park.
Deplorable? You want deplorable? Come and watch our swing. Golf is easy. There are only six things to remember. The problem is that when we get to the fourth, we've forgotten the first three.
Let's clear something up. (Yes, we ended a sentence with a preposition.)
Cantrell Road is Arkansas 10, and thus is in the purview of the Arkansas Department of Transportation. All that nice work was done by the department.
We are further told by the agency that the median separates two side-by-side bridges. And a project is planned to replace both bridges with one new bridge.
That project is scheduled for April of next year and will include a new median to separate the traffic lanes.
Dear DT Mahatma: I am sitting here waiting for the light to turn at the intersection of Center View Drive looking north at Kanis Road. It is early morning when traffic numbers are very low. I suddenly realize that the sensor facing me is not only not working, it is missing. This intersection needs some traffic management. Whom should I call? -- Still Waiting
Dear Waiting: Do you mean the camera up high on the signal pole? Or the sensor imbedded in the roadway? So many intersections, so many lights, so much maintenance.
Any which way, the people in the know are at the city's traffic engineering office. They are nice people, in our experience, eager to help the citizens of Our Town, and can be reached at 501-379-1816.
Don't tell them the Mahatma suggested the call. The traffic guys get enough of us as it is.
Sir: Not really traffic related, but do you know the significance of the word 'Pike' at the end of some road names? -- Transplanted Texan
Dear Transplant: Glad you made it to Arkansas, described many times by the great Paul Greenberg as a small, wonderful state. Texas, on the other hand, is known in Arkansas as the state that stole our children.
Pike, as in Mabelvale Pike and Batesville Pike, would appear to be short for turnpike, a road for which a toll is collected. Perhaps these were toll roads.
A turnpike back in the day, the really old day, was a spiked barrier fixed in or across a road as a defense against attack.
Vanity plate: REAL UA. Our correspondent said it was inside an Alabama plate holder.
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