SE Michigan road construction

[Ray1936]

Just returned home in Las Vegas from a two week trip back to Michigan, including a few days in the metro Detroit area.

I don't think I drove on one road that was not detoured/under construction/closed! WTF!!! It's an absolute circus to drive in the area. It was really frustrating. My condolences to you who suffer.

Once out of the tri county neck of the woods, things were pretty normal for the drive 'up nort' for a Traverse City visit with old friends and family.

I have never seen anything close to the chaotic road work here in southern Nevada. But then, our roads don't get that lousy winter freeze/salt/thaw factor, either.

Took a brief trip down Grand River. Our old home in Rosedale Park still looks spiffy, as does that area.

Back home today where it is sunny and 103 f.

[Honky Tonk]

[Baselinepunk]

Nice pic, Honky. Really reflective of the 40 years of Republican neglect of Michigan infrastructure and focus on tax cuts for … well -- yeah, we all know.

Perhaps if Republicans we not so fixated on ChristroFacisim and "Death of Government by a thousand slits" facilitated by former Republican President Ronald Reagan, Ray1936 may not have been so unconvinced in their visit.

It's really too bad that past Michigan Republicans did not serve, and have the best interests of, their constituents. Michigan Republicans are a lost bunch and have been for a very long time.

I left Republican Party in the late 1980s because of their "jack-booted" bullshit. Yes, Nazism and Fascism were, and still are, alive and well in the Michigan Republican party. Unfortunately, Michigan Republican folks could not tell the different between Nazism and Fascism ... they love/d it all but that is not unexpected.

Michigan Republicans, on their 40 year watch, decimated, dismantled and destroyed infrastructure and a very functioning public education. So now, the lack of connection, lack of critical thinking, lack of community awareness works in the Republicans favor.
What national and Michigan Republicans have use is Hobbesian Fear since 9/11.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/191224

Now, I know some y’all are chomping the bit to throw out, or in this case “throw up”, the usual:

Coleman: did this and that.

Kilpatrick: did this and that.

Yeah, bunch of total BS went down with that.

Republicans have only offered BS remedies:

Local Control: Let’s take over that town/city obviously they can’t take care of it.

TRUMP/MAGA: the next best grift since Ethical Monotheism.

[Honky Tonk]

Nice pic, Honky.

Gee Thanks, punk!

[Jimaz]

...
https://www.jstor.org/stable/191224
...

Thanks for the link. That looks like a useful website. Sincerely.

[Baselinepunk]

Gee Thanks, punk!

No problem!

FWIW - you are the "1st offender" so as long as you informally refer to folks on this site, "Doc", and such -- "Honky" fits.

Further, "Honky" is very fitting -- like a loose goose all you do is "Honk!" "Honk!" Honk!" with no focus on the big picture.

[Baselinepunk]

"Thanks for the link. That looks like a useful website. Sincerely."

No worries!!

Unlike verbal diarrhea Honky, Richard, Wheels, + el. al. -- Primary sources rule!

[dtowncitylover]

"Fix the damn roads!"

*Fixes the roads*

"No, not like that!"

Can't make Michiganders happy at all. We wanted to fix the roads, well they're getting fixed. Stop bitching.

[sirrealone]

It took decades of neglect for the roads to get as bad as they are, so it will subsequently take decades of catching up to get them back into decent shape.

[JBMcB]

"Fix the damn roads!"

*Fixes the roads*

"No, not like that!"

I think "Not like that," in my mind, means, for example, doing major roadwork on the I-696 mixing bowl at the Lodge to Orchard Lake, AND 12 mile, AND closing 13 mile, AND 14 mile, all simultaneously. I understand they aren't all necessarily done by MDOT, but a bit of coordination would be nice.

My wife got to experience this at the GM Tech Center, when they had Mound, Van Dyke, and 13 mile road all under construction at the same time.

The road commissions even know they are screwing people when their signs say "Road closed, seek alternate route" meaning they can't even come up with a reasonable detour, because those are under construction as well.

Absolutely fix the roads. Close them if you need to. Just don't close *every* major road going in one direction all at the same time in a four mile block.

[sirrealone]

The problem with coordination is several layers deep.

First, none of the agencies, whether it be MDOT, a county road commission, a city, etc. will want to concede priority.

Second, a lot of the project funding is tied to monies that have to be spent in certain years. So, three projects that happen in one area simultaneously might have to happen that way because if they didn't do one or all of them, the funding might be gone.

Third, our weather doesn't allow for work to be spread out. Consolidating our construction season into a few months basically means it has to be full steam ahead. Any time spent trying to coordinate would be time lost, which could jeopardize being able to complete projects before the weather prohibits.

[ABetterDetroit]

Ironic when the ones who are always bitching about bureaucrats propose more need and jobs for well, bureaucrats.