One does not need to live in a bustling urban area like Los Angeles to experience disruptive traffic these days. The work on Highway 83 at Salmon Lake, while anticipated, is changing the way we drive. Having lived in Los Angeles for 43 years, I had forgotten what normal traffic was like when I left the Treasure State at 23. My return “home” and negotiating Reserve Street in Missoula made me experience “déjà vu” all over again. My lifeline was not living in Missoula but returning to the “traffic free” confines of Seeley Lake. But I must admit that my mind would wander to the San Ferando Valley and reflect on how Reserve felt very much like driving on Ventura or Van Nuys Boulevard. Even in the West San Fernando Valley getting from Granada Hills to Woodland Hills was at a minimum 30 minutes, hence in Los Angeles we do not speak of miles but of time.
Wow, how far is it to Missoula? 53 miles. Is that relevant to the construction at Salmon Lake? The Salmon Lake construction rivals the gridlock on the San Diego Freeway (405) from the Ventura Freeway (101) interchange to LAX.
Yikes! I’m feeling right at home! Yuck! We had a family gathering on Sunday at our home and some of our extended relatives turned around and went back to Missoula after waiting 1.5 hours at Salmon Lake. In addition, my mother is under hospice care and the construction is quite disruptive to her care. Who knows when her caregivers will arrive?
My thought was, given all the summer traffic, why not work at night? I’m certain there is an answer to this question, but it just seemed to make sense to ask it. In addition, all our traffic during the day is disruptive to the construction process and this contributes to the length of time it is taking to complete the project. Spoiler alert: MDT says the construction will end in Spring of 2024. But you probably already knew that.
Nevertheless, where are the flag girls? You know, those college-aged women who would direct us when to stop and when to proceed through highway construction during the summer. What a great job for college students! Now we have stoplights! Stoplights? When I sit at the “stoplight” in the middle of the night my mind wonders about what is going on down the road. Do I really need to stop? Is there a vehicle coming? Does this stop light really know what it is doing? Hey, what about the pilot cars? They are gone too. Just trust and follow the traffic lights which, as far as I can tell, aren’t directed by any human. Hum . . .
Is there an upside? My wife recently pointed out that with the construction, how many deer have been saved. Good point. I guess there is some redeeming value to this disruption in our lives.
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