Well, it took something to hack me off enough to finally get me to start this thing, and the ongoing road construction in the Ark City area sure did it.
If you're going to shut off a major artery such as the U.S. 77-U.S. 166 intersection east of town, here's a brilliant idea: Don't start working on all the other roads around it while the detour is still in effect!
I've been a defender of the roundabout and KDOT throughout this process. But the county and whoever had the brilliant idea to start repaving Country Club Road before the roundabout opens? Indefensible.
And of course, one major project wasn't enough for KDOT at one time. So they started a pilot-car zone on 166 all the way east to the county border - an overlay project that caused even more inconvenience to commuters who live east of town.
Since they knocked the bypass out of commission, violators of the marked detour (mainly large trucks) have caused the following unanticipated effects:
All of these things I could live with (and I haven't even mentioned the speed limit drop by fiat on Madison). But why on earth would you start fixing the roads before the detour is over?
The decision to start repaving Country Club Road (and rather poorly, I might add) is pretty much the last straw for me.
I've tried to have patience with the process, but now I have to go east to 91st Road, south through Parkerfield and then west on Madison to get to work.
My commute used to take seven minutes; now it takes 20. And I only live a few miles out of town. I hate to imagine how people who live farther east feel.
Even when the roundabout is done, we have the Kansas Avenue overpass project to look forward to. It could be two more years before all this madness is finally finished.
Rant over.
If you're going to shut off a major artery such as the U.S. 77-U.S. 166 intersection east of town, here's a brilliant idea: Don't start working on all the other roads around it while the detour is still in effect!
I've been a defender of the roundabout and KDOT throughout this process. But the county and whoever had the brilliant idea to start repaving Country Club Road before the roundabout opens? Indefensible.
And of course, one major project wasn't enough for KDOT at one time. So they started a pilot-car zone on 166 all the way east to the county border - an overlay project that caused even more inconvenience to commuters who live east of town.
Since they knocked the bypass out of commission, violators of the marked detour (mainly large trucks) have caused the following unanticipated effects:
- The three-week closure of Chestnut Avenue, restricting access to Ark City from the east to just Madison Avenue.
- The closure of the bypass between Chestnut and Madison.
- Major road damage to Country Club Road and 91st Road, which trucks have been using to avoid the detour route.
All of these things I could live with (and I haven't even mentioned the speed limit drop by fiat on Madison). But why on earth would you start fixing the roads before the detour is over?
The decision to start repaving Country Club Road (and rather poorly, I might add) is pretty much the last straw for me.
I've tried to have patience with the process, but now I have to go east to 91st Road, south through Parkerfield and then west on Madison to get to work.
My commute used to take seven minutes; now it takes 20. And I only live a few miles out of town. I hate to imagine how people who live farther east feel.
Even when the roundabout is done, we have the Kansas Avenue overpass project to look forward to. It could be two more years before all this madness is finally finished.
Rant over.
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