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Construction isn’t fun or pretty, but work is necessary
Written by Trista Steers MacVittie   
Friday, 06 April 2012 00:00

Yes, it’s annoying to travel as slow as a snail bumper to bumper along State Route 89A.

Yes, it’s inconvenient to leave my home 10 minutes earlier in the morning to make it to work on time.

Yes, I want to shout at drivers who pull out from behind me, speed down the right lane, and then try to cut me off just up the road because their lane is merging into mine.

Is there anything I can do about? No.

Sedona Red Rock News Managing Editor Trista Steers MacVittieIs there anything the Arizona Department of Transportation can do about? No.

Is there anything the city of Sedona can do about it? No.

Construction is simply an annoying, inconvenient, yet unpleasantly necessary headache. It always has been, and it always will be despite anyone’s best efforts.

There really isn’t ever a “good” time for roadwork in Sedona.

In the spring, we welcome spring breakers.

In the summer, it’s too hot to pour asphalt and concrete or for the workers to log long hours.

In the fall, the monsoon pounds the city unexpectedly on any given day, and the tourists return.

The winter brings its own problems, with football bowl game tourists driving up from Phoenix and inclement weather.

While spring is the best time weather-wise to get work done, it wasn’t ADOT’s original plan. It’s had other time frames for completing the work, but something always got in the way.

ADOT’s been trying to move this project forward for more than five years, so really this all could have been over years ago.

To alleviate the stress on residents, construction crews and the Sedona Police Department are doing everything they can to keep traffic flowing.

Crews only work Monday through Thursday, and when they leave for the weekend, the cones come down and traffic returns to normal. Workers have also done a great job only blocking sections of lanes absolutely necessary for them to do their work, and then they open them immediately.

SPD officers are working with the traffic signals and at times even stationing themselves in the middle of busy intersections directing traffic to avoid jams.

It’s not going to be fun, and it’s not going to be pretty. However, when it’s all said and done, nighttime safety and the road’s condition will be improved.

 

Comments  

 
+1 #1 Elmer Ville 2012-04-08 09:04
Advice to all drivers: Chill out, relax, and just be glad that you aren't driving in California!
Quote
 

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