Editorial: Payoff arrives for surviving construction
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 21, 2005
We have survived.
It’s been a year with a lot of detours and road construction, but now that the Lakeview Boulevard bridge is open, the Front Street bridge is about to reopen and many of the exit ramps to the interstates are now clear, we can appreciate the hard work that went into them.
Construction wise, weather has cooperated, and in some cases, like the Lakeview Boulevard bridge project, officials were able to open it up much sooner than expected. The result is a smooth street and a beautiful bridge with character. The project enhances walkers’ and bikers’ trips around the lake as well as boaters’ cruises on the lake. The project was certainly well worth waiting for.
Certainly, detours can be an aggravation. They can take us way out of our way, and as human beings we often don’t leave ourselves enough time for them. But if we’re optimists, we can enjoy a change of scenery and a variation in our routines.
It’s a simple fact that road construction is a necessary evil, given our sometimes harsh Minnesota winters and the freezing and thawing that goes with spring and fall. The seasons are hard on our roads, and they don’t last forever.
We’ve all heard the jokes about Minnesota’s two seasons: road construction and winter. Because we endured the road construction season, our winter season should be much easier to navigate. The payoff is definitely big.