Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Under the Cloverleaf

A 32 plus million dollar project funded by Federal stimulus money is the first major shovel-ready project to which my hometown Nashville has been subjected. Road construction designed to link I-440 and Briley Parkway was originally scheduled to be part of the project in the 1970s. I suppose punctuality has never been one of government's great virtues. The connection was envisioned to alleviate traffic congestion but at its start over the weekend, caused seemingly interminable delays. If and when the work is completed, I doubt that gridlock will be vanquished as the politicians who backed the project then (1970s- when Nashville's population and traffic was a fraction of what it is today) claimed and those today still crow about. They must have never looked at the freeways of Southern California and their connectors where short commutes become endurance marathons, testing patience on a daily basis. The net effect of the spending when the roadwork is completed will be negligible at best and the traffic jams caused by the work will be a nightmare.

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