Wake Up America - Our Interstate Highway Infrastructure is Crumbling
On May 14, 2013, I departed Kingman, Arizona, heading for Flagstaff, one hundred forty-seven miles east on Interstate I-40.
The altitude of Kingman is 3350 ft. while the altitude at Flagstaff is
more than twice that at 6900 ft. What those statistics do not indicate
are the many mountain passes and low valleys that I-40 traverses in
that distance. The vertical rise and fall is like no other similar
stretch on I-40.
By the time I reached Seligman, Arizona, I was ready for a break and my
Nissan Titan truck was ready for fuel. Before I departed Seligman, a
1980’s vintage Ford L9000 water truck pulled in for fuel beside me. When I 
introduced
myself, the proud driver of this venerable workhorse introduced
himself as “Colonel”, which was good enough for me. Before he pulled
away, I took several pictures of him and his iconic desert water truck.
Back on I-40 East, I lamented the poor condition of our interstate
highways. To be sure, I-40 gets both heavy truck traffic and harsh
winters, but the rutted and crumbling highway had me grumbling to
myself about the poor state of our infrastructure in America. “Why
don’t they ever fix this highway?” I asked aloud.
Although I was late for an appointment in Flagstaff,
I slowed down to prevent damage to my truck or travel trailer. Soon, I
was to experience highway reconstruction at its finest, thanks to our federal tax dollars. As I approached the crossroads town of Ash Fork, Arizona, lighted signs and myriad orange cones appeared along the highway.
From Ash Fork, Arizona Highway 89 heads south to Prescott and Wickenburg,
Arizona. In times past, an inattentive motorist might miss the small
signs that identified the highway junction. After May 2013, no one
would miss the gigantic new signs installed alongside I-40. As a large
mobile crane lowered a new sign into place, a construction engineer
guided the process from a platform fifty feet in the air.
With the construction excitement of Ash Fork behind me, I began to
notice smooth new pavement in the right lane of the interstate highway.
A semi-truck and trailer loaded with California onions glided up over a
hill on its way to the east. For me the shaking and jarring of
crumbling pavement ended. With a sigh of relief, I could relax a bit as
I rolled smoothly toward Flagstaff.
Soon,
the road was climbing again as it made its final ascent toward Williams
and Flagstaff, beyond. Twice more along the way, I encountered large
crews of workers and their equipment. They were repairing, restoring
and resurfacing the same highway I had cursed only an hour before. Any
delay I experienced that day paled by comparison to the glee I felt
about my country and its ability to fix its infrastructure issues. In times past, signs erected at each project would say, “Your federal highway taxes at work”. If we abolish taxes in America, who will pay to keep commerce and tourists safely rolling along our highways?
Even as I sped by, I could see the efficiency and care that each road
crew applied to their work. Awash in neon-green or bright orange
shirts, each 
person
was actively accomplishing their task. The whole scene was in motion,
with heavy rollers following the monster pavers up ahead. On the back
of one paving machine sat the boss. Along with two quality control
experts, he was assuring that the new asphalt went down smoothly and
firmly. Farther on, crews were stripping old asphalt from the road and
recycling it into new asphalt for the pavers to follow.
As I neared Williams, Arizona, the federal highway dollars and the
construction crews disappeared. For miles on end, I drove on a rutted
roadway, which beat heavily at the undercarriage of my rig. Although
the average citizen sitting at home might not know it, our taxes often
accomplish more than they realize. Whether it is a load of onions
making it safely to market in the east or tourists and vacationers
making it safely to the Grand 
Canyon, good roads are essential to our economy.
When I reached Flagstaff, I was pleased to be on time for my afternoon
meeting. I was also pleased to see Americans at work, helping other
Americans safely reach their destinations. Here is to the water truck
drivers, the pavement crews and the highway engineers who make safe
travel available to all in our great country, the United States of
America.
By James McGillis at 03:53 PM | Travel | Comments (0) | Link
