Construction crews should coordinate!
Like most who travel Lake County lately, I am surprised at all of the "shovel ready" construction that has popped up in the last several weeks.
Milling here, patching there, all in the name of spending the cash provided to us by our children and their kids.
Although a short-term solution at best, we all eagerly await the final product of smooth pavement (at least until the first freeze).
I must point out, however, that there is an obvious lack of coordination as to the timing and placement of the crews. It seems every road in Lake County runs into or is itself under some sort of construction. Let me repeat here that I know I'll be pleased with the outcome (whenever that is).
Having endured the torture of negotiating the Tri-State Tollway for the last couple of years, I have become accustomed to missed appointments and white knuckle rides. I do believe I now possess the skill set necessary to actually compete at Road America or Watkins Glenn!
I expect that my travel times will be long and inconsistent and can plan my weekday commute accordingly. But I've got to draw the line at WEEKENDS!
Saturday, Aug. 15, was one of the most beautiful days of this lousy summer. I knew as I headed north on Rand Road that there would probably be some traffic congestion. I expected people would be heading up to the Chain to enjoy one of the few nice days this summer has to offer. And, was I right!
The roads were busy, but not as a result of a lot of cars, trucks and RVs. The ensuing traffic jam resulted from some state-employed imbecile who decided it might be a good day to shut down a lane of traffic to put in some patches!
You should have seen the looks on people's faces. I saw anger, disgust, disbelief and a whole lot of hand gestures. Those who chose to turn around pelted the rest of us with gravel from their spinning tires. And then there were those poor souls with kids in the car. All in all, it took about 40 minutes to travel a couple of miles.
Now think about this for a moment, wouldn't it be nice if they (federal, state and local authorities) all got on the same page? Why not put an army of road construction troops on one road at a time. That's right, shut it down and fix the whole darn thing! Not a section here and an intersection there ... the whole shebang done in one fell swoop! Then, move on to the next road.
Let's begin with Rand Road. If we tear it all up, rebuild it and connect it to Route 53, there's your north extension. No tolls and no $2 billion price tag!
I'm not at all sure where to take this but I want on the unified transportation authority bandwagon, if one exists. And if it doesn't, gosh darn it, I'll start one! Who's with me?
Jeffrey C. Issel
Mundelein