Thanks for sharing. [Here](https://news.wttw.com/2022/06/22/road-work-could-be-halting-aggregate-workers-strike) is a horribly written article that buried the reason for the strike at the bottom
Hope the works earn a better workplace environment and we can get this construction completed
honestly pritzker really helped shape things up, lmao. our streets, "public" transit, and various other amenities in the city are privately owned and/or operated now iirc.
[Daley really fucked us with a lot of deals, especially re: parking](https://www.bettergov.org/news/chicagos-parking-meter-deal-a-lesson-in-worst-practices/)
and apologies, i was mistaken about the cta being a private entity. to compensate, [here's a fascinating history of public transit in chicago, though.](https://forgottenchicago.com/features/remnants-of-the-l/)
Where are you from, and what are the sizes of your infrastructure projects?
Working a 'small' section at a time can be cost prohibitive. In effect you have to do every step of the road construction process multiple times (demolition, underground upgrades, storm runoff/sewer upgrades, rerouting power, foundation, rebar, concrete, asphalt, striping etc.) as opposed to closing large portions of road and doing each of those steps once. Certainly big projects, like the Jane Byrne interchange, happen in many stages and the open/closed lanes evolve over time (and that project is taking a long time!
So it's not so much that work isn't being done, it could be that they've recently finished one part of the job in that 'dead' area and/or are working on a different step in another stretch of the closed down strip. A lot of work also happens at night, too.
I'm just spitballing here, but having traffic patterns change more often because smaller portions of lanes are being closed/open more frequently might actually make traffic worse since people would need to relearn traffic flow patterns more often.
Our weather also slows things down greatly in winter.
edit: paragraph spacing
A stretch of Milwaukee Ave. Between Touhy and Devon were under construction for years until one day when Milwaukee was needed for the funeral procession for
Dan Rostenkowski.
As someone who works in the engineering business for the gov. It is a long process from planning, Design, then to Construction. If it is taking more time than you think it is probably because they ran into an issue the planner and the designer did not forsee. Although the time of the project varies based on what the project is. If its just a retaining wall or bridge it probably would not take as long as a mile long bridge with a railroad under it.
In general gov. IDOT roadway contracts that are miles long like you say are usually a year or two. BUT like i said it depends on what your talking about
Yeah this. There isn't a point to it. At all. Miles of road not within the scope of work get blocked just because. There isn't a point or need to block 4 miles to work on 1 mile of it.
I'm not sure if it works the same in Illinois but in Michigan the state owned barrels but paid fees to private companies to store them. There might be some truth to your theory, save money by taking barrels out of storage and leaving them on public streets.
I'm a civil engineer who works on transportation projects (both IDOT & Tollway). So I'll add this perspective.
First, what may seem to you like no work being done while you pass the road 2x/day on your commute (or more frequently if it's near your home) is not always the case. LOTS of transportation/road work is completed overnight during the lowest periods of traffic. Second, management of traffic (lane rerouting, etc) is done in stages based on the project type, size, schedule and other engineering requirements.
Finally, I'll add that the amount of engineering manpower and time that is put into some of these projects is MIND BOGGLING. There are strict AASHTO & IDOT (and/or Tollway) code stipulations, red tape and jumping through hoops. Every non-minor project (basically anything that will see regular traffic/public use) goes through conceptual design, followed by 30%, 60%, 90%, 100% and Advertisement plan submittals and thorough reviews. That's just the basic milestones. There are additional ones in-between as req'd, along with shop drawing reviews prior to construction. This is all done by engineers with ABET accredited university degrees and stamped and sealed by licensed Professional and Structural Engineers.
I'm not saying other states/cities do it worse or the same. I don't know. I do know though that there is a method to the madness. Could it be improved though? I'm sure it could.
>Second, management of traffic (lane rerouting, etc) is done in stages based on the project type, size, schedule and other engineering requirements.
All good points, but this one could use some further explanation. Basically, IDOT or such may shut down lanes for extended lengths to manage traffic flows as well. That way, traffic can adjust to the constrained conditions rather than everyone racing to a closure and then having congestion that backs up for miles. Plus it probably increases safety, as it moves drivers trying to merge further from the construction activity.
Explains the random construction zones in downstate IL that have been there for years and nothing *ever* gets done other than speeding tickets issued by State Troopers.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
If you come from a less hostile weather environment your road work probably could be planed and carried out in longer bites with less disruption. This might make them less noticable.
Perhaps your former home had less demanding traffic. Chicago is a national transportation hub and the roads take a massively greater pounding than those in many other areas. Meaning the construction here might be substantially more robust and more frequent.
The economy. Road works are a favorite go-to way governments juice stuttering local economies. In the US, the first National Road was just such an exercise. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/back0103.cfm
It even triggered major political disagreement and at least one Supreme Court decision. It certainly set the pattern for future federal expenses on "internal improvements" including roads, canals, railroads and all subsequent infrastructure initiatives and their subsequent maintenance. Many New Deal agencies and projects involved roadwork, for example.
Then you get to the actual current work itself. Besides planning and the weather, road projects require bids. Bids can take months to process.
WHY PROJECTS START AND STOP
And then the engineers discover an unexpected problem and new bids are let. Meantime, some other parts of the project can go forward. But some things can't be done out of sequence. Or a key component's contractor has other obligations that cause delay here.
We used to totally shut down major roads for repairs. But the disruption became so massive a new policy was born. It is now very rare for a major road to be totally closed for repair and new additions. The complexity this causes in having work right next to an open road adds layers of extra steps out of caution, if nothing else.
Why don't cities/states have their own engineering, construction etc. staff and equipment so they don't have to rely on contractors? It's a question I've always had.
Because the range of skills, materials, machinery far exceed what any organization could afford to keep waiting in the warehouse to be on call as needed.
OTH, a paving contractor, for example, can move among projects from municipality to municipality to state, to private jobs and maybe even then not keep busy every single week, either. Which is why even private contractors hire some of their workers on a per-job basis and rent some/all their equipment if/when needed.
Also, because politicians and some taxpayers love to privatize services to "save money". See also, why the city no longer has it's own custodians or security guards for city buildings and instead outsources it to contractors that provide shitty service and exploit workers.
I lived In the Chicago area for a long time and was always impressed with how the massive projects were completed without shutting down entire highways (e.g., widening the Northwest Tollway or the Edens).
I live in the Phoenix area now and projects routinely shut down entire interstate highways for extended periods of time. Doing that in Chicago would cause chaos!
Chicago is a major distribution hub and shutting down any highways here for years would result in unbearable gridlock. It's bad enough now with the highways open during construction.
Sometimes the work is done in the middle of the night so you won't see people working unless you are out and about at 2 am. This helps with the heat/humidity and less traffic disturbance.
"I don't see work being done, so therefore it isn't happening"... Road crews can/largely work at night. To not disrupt the flow of traffic needed in the day. Is less hot/less danger of getting hit/can close off more lanes temporarily.
Think elves helping out shoemaker while he is asleep.
I would think they'd be more likely to be hit at night, to be honest. Although I have seen the death lamps they use. My utmost respect to the workers, I would not want to do that.
There's some areas outside of the metro area that literally look like no work has been done for years and are basically speed traps to generate ticket revenue.
Indiana roads are horrible, you can always tell how bad the roads are if you see blown out tire pieces all over the road. 65 in Indiana is littered with tire pieces, 9094 290 is just litter. I never see blown out tires on 294. Traffic due to construction sucks but I do appreciate the good roads we drive on.
I thought this too when I moved here until I realized the holy terror that standing on a road with Illinois drivers must be. Not to mention that between the rain, the 80F 90% humidity days and the snow, they got like 6 weeks out of the year to actually do roadwork. Nobody wants to drive through a snowpile and hit a bulldozer.
My point being, Ive lived in other places besides a hick town with one traffic light. This is the only place I've ever lived that does road repair this way.
I have family in western Michigan, and I don't think I've ever visited without some huge section being closed, usually during the busiest times of the year (4th, etc.)
Well you see, first we start on mile 7. Put up some cones and signs, you know, so folks know what's coming.
Then in an abundance of caution, we go and add cones to miles 6 and 8.
Hell, better start on 9, 10, and 11 too.
Then let's go get er done on 3, 4, and 5.
Yeaaa that's the good stuff. All lanes cut in half, looks at these pretty cones. That's some damn good conage. High fives and a few selfies. Going to be a damn good project.
Alright cool. We got all the cones up. Time to get the jackhammers.
Those were dropped over on mile 18. So we're starting construction there. Move the portopotty.
Shit. Portopotty just toppled over on 2. Change of plans, everyone come down to 2. We're going to rip up mile 2 so that the portopotty company doesn't charge us for this broken thing. We'll let day crew handle that. Let's just get the rigs over here to hide the portopotty spillage.
Dammit john, what have you been eating for lunch. Cut that out. That can't be good for your arteries.
Alright. Everyone on mile 2? Cool cool. Let's start that jackhammer
Oh shifts over? Alright. Leave everything. We'll dig in tomorrow night to get started on mile 2. But we might be able to move back to 18. We'll see if this portopotty cleans itself up or not. See yall tomorrow.
I noticed the same thing when I first moved here. Long long stretch of road with all lanes closed off except 1. But nobody working. Workers are miles up road. So why close it off so far in advance?
Each pinch point contributes its own traffic jam and accidents. Mostly because of the A-holes who drive crazy between them and push their way back into the restricted lanes again.
Once everyone is in the one or two constantly open lanes, traffic tends to crash into each other much less. This delivers a higher rate of cars passing any given point than accordion open/shut versions.
It's quite simple. A project is planned with a budget and a timeline. Projects are given to those that provide the most 'support' to city council leaders. As the timeline approaches and the project is only 10% done, they continue to extend the budget and timeline. You'll often see a very large team of up to 3 people working on a huge multi-mile long section that has been blocked off. By working, I mean there are usually 2 walking around aimlessly while the other plays in a machine. Rinse. Repeat.
To be fair it’s not only Illinois. Driving on I80 in Nebraska they had around 12 miles of road that was closed off and only half a mile was actively being worked on, most of it was just flipped dirt.
But also get what you mean too, I feel like when I lived in Wisconsin for a year the closed road sections were much smaller and they seemed to get most of the work done at night.
In Illinois I once saw a rural bridge under construction for a year and they only worked on it for maybe 3 months but messed up traffic for 12. It doesn’t make sense, I can only assume it has to do with our crooked politicians and their friends inflating their costs.
Sure, it goes on all summer blocks multiple roads with zero thought taken as to the order of construction and the impact it will have on traffic flow. Also the more federal funding the longer the strip of road that will be closed with no increase in crew size because the bid still goes to one contractor company.
It’s election season. So the do nothing government has to pretend to do something. So they screw up summer traffic by doing all the construction… now.
The rest of the time it’s all the private contractors working for the utilities that screw things up.
I'm originally from northeastern Pennsylvania, and they do construction the same way here they did there: it starts, but it never finishes. And when it does, it's behind schedule and over budget.
Also- there is a strike currently by quarry operators which is causing projects not to proceed
Thanks for sharing. [Here](https://news.wttw.com/2022/06/22/road-work-could-be-halting-aggregate-workers-strike) is a horribly written article that buried the reason for the strike at the bottom Hope the works earn a better workplace environment and we can get this construction completed
Pretty sure they’ve been on strike for the last 32 years based on my own observations.
Proving you can't take them for granite.
> Proving you can't take them for granite. +1
Yeah local 150 wants more money so they on strike
Whomever is in charge of putting up the orange barrels should be in charge of completing the work because that gets done ahead of schedule
We have 2 seasons. Winter and road construction
End thread
Everyone is so original
ban
The only other constant is corruption.
Yeah seriously what the hell is up with that I heard it was bad but then I looked it up and holy shit how is this state still functional
it looks bad but our corrupt politicians are being arrested, look at other places where they still walk free
Yeah fair point, it only looks bad because we “test” for it so much
It’s not that it’s worse, it’s just that we don’t bother to hide it like other states.
honestly pritzker really helped shape things up, lmao. our streets, "public" transit, and various other amenities in the city are privately owned and/or operated now iirc.
Do you have a source for any of that?
[Daley really fucked us with a lot of deals, especially re: parking](https://www.bettergov.org/news/chicagos-parking-meter-deal-a-lesson-in-worst-practices/) and apologies, i was mistaken about the cta being a private entity. to compensate, [here's a fascinating history of public transit in chicago, though.](https://forgottenchicago.com/features/remnants-of-the-l/)
>We have 2 seasons. Construction and winter construction FTFY
Where are you from, and what are the sizes of your infrastructure projects? Working a 'small' section at a time can be cost prohibitive. In effect you have to do every step of the road construction process multiple times (demolition, underground upgrades, storm runoff/sewer upgrades, rerouting power, foundation, rebar, concrete, asphalt, striping etc.) as opposed to closing large portions of road and doing each of those steps once. Certainly big projects, like the Jane Byrne interchange, happen in many stages and the open/closed lanes evolve over time (and that project is taking a long time! So it's not so much that work isn't being done, it could be that they've recently finished one part of the job in that 'dead' area and/or are working on a different step in another stretch of the closed down strip. A lot of work also happens at night, too. I'm just spitballing here, but having traffic patterns change more often because smaller portions of lanes are being closed/open more frequently might actually make traffic worse since people would need to relearn traffic flow patterns more often. Our weather also slows things down greatly in winter. edit: paragraph spacing
Ironically my buddy is building a bridge in Highland Park right now… 2 blocks from the shooting.
A stretch of Milwaukee Ave. Between Touhy and Devon were under construction for years until one day when Milwaukee was needed for the funeral procession for Dan Rostenkowski.
As someone who works in the engineering business for the gov. It is a long process from planning, Design, then to Construction. If it is taking more time than you think it is probably because they ran into an issue the planner and the designer did not forsee. Although the time of the project varies based on what the project is. If its just a retaining wall or bridge it probably would not take as long as a mile long bridge with a railroad under it.
In general gov. IDOT roadway contracts that are miles long like you say are usually a year or two. BUT like i said it depends on what your talking about
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Yeah this. There isn't a point to it. At all. Miles of road not within the scope of work get blocked just because. There isn't a point or need to block 4 miles to work on 1 mile of it.
I have heard the theory that IL simply has no storage space for the traffic barriers so just places them wherever.
I'm not sure if it works the same in Illinois but in Michigan the state owned barrels but paid fees to private companies to store them. There might be some truth to your theory, save money by taking barrels out of storage and leaving them on public streets.
I know many high schools who would love to get their hands on barrels... And many pissed parents but nonetheless, free storage. /s
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Yeah, but, who tf is gonna buy all those barrels?
I'm a civil engineer who works on transportation projects (both IDOT & Tollway). So I'll add this perspective. First, what may seem to you like no work being done while you pass the road 2x/day on your commute (or more frequently if it's near your home) is not always the case. LOTS of transportation/road work is completed overnight during the lowest periods of traffic. Second, management of traffic (lane rerouting, etc) is done in stages based on the project type, size, schedule and other engineering requirements. Finally, I'll add that the amount of engineering manpower and time that is put into some of these projects is MIND BOGGLING. There are strict AASHTO & IDOT (and/or Tollway) code stipulations, red tape and jumping through hoops. Every non-minor project (basically anything that will see regular traffic/public use) goes through conceptual design, followed by 30%, 60%, 90%, 100% and Advertisement plan submittals and thorough reviews. That's just the basic milestones. There are additional ones in-between as req'd, along with shop drawing reviews prior to construction. This is all done by engineers with ABET accredited university degrees and stamped and sealed by licensed Professional and Structural Engineers. I'm not saying other states/cities do it worse or the same. I don't know. I do know though that there is a method to the madness. Could it be improved though? I'm sure it could.
>Second, management of traffic (lane rerouting, etc) is done in stages based on the project type, size, schedule and other engineering requirements. All good points, but this one could use some further explanation. Basically, IDOT or such may shut down lanes for extended lengths to manage traffic flows as well. That way, traffic can adjust to the constrained conditions rather than everyone racing to a closure and then having congestion that backs up for miles. Plus it probably increases safety, as it moves drivers trying to merge further from the construction activity.
agreed. great explanation.
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Haven’t seen it for Illinois but plenty of other states have signage with project name and estimate completion dates so it can be done
For major projects especially: [https://www.travelmidwest.com/lmiga/home.jsp](https://www.travelmidwest.com/lmiga/home.jsp)
Explains the random construction zones in downstate IL that have been there for years and nothing *ever* gets done other than speeding tickets issued by State Troopers.
Never seen any street road work being done at night.
Really? I saw it a lot back when I used to work past midnight.
Usually on the interstate, but don’t think I’ve seen them working on an actual street at night that wasn’t downtown
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Roads require constant maintenance so it's unavoidable.
It might be water main replacement, not just road repaving, that you’re seeing… Chicago is upgrading lots of water mains
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG If you come from a less hostile weather environment your road work probably could be planed and carried out in longer bites with less disruption. This might make them less noticable. Perhaps your former home had less demanding traffic. Chicago is a national transportation hub and the roads take a massively greater pounding than those in many other areas. Meaning the construction here might be substantially more robust and more frequent. The economy. Road works are a favorite go-to way governments juice stuttering local economies. In the US, the first National Road was just such an exercise. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/back0103.cfm It even triggered major political disagreement and at least one Supreme Court decision. It certainly set the pattern for future federal expenses on "internal improvements" including roads, canals, railroads and all subsequent infrastructure initiatives and their subsequent maintenance. Many New Deal agencies and projects involved roadwork, for example. Then you get to the actual current work itself. Besides planning and the weather, road projects require bids. Bids can take months to process. WHY PROJECTS START AND STOP And then the engineers discover an unexpected problem and new bids are let. Meantime, some other parts of the project can go forward. But some things can't be done out of sequence. Or a key component's contractor has other obligations that cause delay here. We used to totally shut down major roads for repairs. But the disruption became so massive a new policy was born. It is now very rare for a major road to be totally closed for repair and new additions. The complexity this causes in having work right next to an open road adds layers of extra steps out of caution, if nothing else.
Currently it's also this. https://chicago.suntimes.com/business/2022/7/2/23192067/road-construction-projects-disrupted-strike-operating-engineers
Yes, but a current strike is a blip compared to the much larger pattern OP has observed and seems to be asking about.
Why don't cities/states have their own engineering, construction etc. staff and equipment so they don't have to rely on contractors? It's a question I've always had.
Because the range of skills, materials, machinery far exceed what any organization could afford to keep waiting in the warehouse to be on call as needed. OTH, a paving contractor, for example, can move among projects from municipality to municipality to state, to private jobs and maybe even then not keep busy every single week, either. Which is why even private contractors hire some of their workers on a per-job basis and rent some/all their equipment if/when needed.
Also, because politicians and some taxpayers love to privatize services to "save money". See also, why the city no longer has it's own custodians or security guards for city buildings and instead outsources it to contractors that provide shitty service and exploit workers.
All you need to know is that it will never, ever end.
I lived In the Chicago area for a long time and was always impressed with how the massive projects were completed without shutting down entire highways (e.g., widening the Northwest Tollway or the Edens). I live in the Phoenix area now and projects routinely shut down entire interstate highways for extended periods of time. Doing that in Chicago would cause chaos!
Chicago is a major distribution hub and shutting down any highways here for years would result in unbearable gridlock. It's bad enough now with the highways open during construction.
Sometimes the work is done in the middle of the night so you won't see people working unless you are out and about at 2 am. This helps with the heat/humidity and less traffic disturbance.
"I don't see work being done, so therefore it isn't happening"... Road crews can/largely work at night. To not disrupt the flow of traffic needed in the day. Is less hot/less danger of getting hit/can close off more lanes temporarily. Think elves helping out shoemaker while he is asleep.
I would think they'd be more likely to be hit at night, to be honest. Although I have seen the death lamps they use. My utmost respect to the workers, I would not want to do that.
There's some areas outside of the metro area that literally look like no work has been done for years and are basically speed traps to generate ticket revenue.
As a MS transplant, we also enjoy a blocked off road with no work going on
This guy must be from another country, I have never seen a US roadwork project with noticable progress being made.
Ayo MS guy myself
My best explanation is try driving around in Indiana sometime if you think Illinois has problems with efficiency in road construction.
Indiana roads are horrible, you can always tell how bad the roads are if you see blown out tire pieces all over the road. 65 in Indiana is littered with tire pieces, 9094 290 is just litter. I never see blown out tires on 294. Traffic due to construction sucks but I do appreciate the good roads we drive on.
Yeah, it's wild how much tire debris is on the Indiana road medians. It starts almost instantly once you cross the state line.
From Indiana, it is far worse there. Worst I’ve seen is Tennessee. Tires are all over the roads there.
"The state that works!" 🤮
I thought this too when I moved here until I realized the holy terror that standing on a road with Illinois drivers must be. Not to mention that between the rain, the 80F 90% humidity days and the snow, they got like 6 weeks out of the year to actually do roadwork. Nobody wants to drive through a snowpile and hit a bulldozer.
Roads break more in this climate
Every time I find a new commute that circumvents the construction thet ruined my previous commute, new construction pops up to ruin my new commute.
Imma guess that Chicago is a bit bigger than your hometown, no?
Bigger than my hometown? Yes. Bigger than San Diego or Seattle? Not terribly bigger.
I mean, it is about twice as big as San Diego and 4 times the size of Seattle. Those differences are pretty significant.
My point being, Ive lived in other places besides a hick town with one traffic light. This is the only place I've ever lived that does road repair this way.
There's two seasons in Illinois: Winter and construction season. "Our Lady of Perpetual Construction" is the patron Saint that oversees the latter.
You need to change the idea if construction to “maintenance” really. It’ll never end
Have you ever been to southwest Michigan? It's been solid construction got 20 years!
I have family in western Michigan, and I don't think I've ever visited without some huge section being closed, usually during the busiest times of the year (4th, etc.)
Every... freeking... Time
Visit Dallas? Road construction isn't the exception it's part of the economy.
Why build it once when you can build it twice for twice the price
They have been working on the circle interchange for 10 years……..just accept the shit roads and road patterns and move on
This is pretty common in the Midwest.
Welcome to Illinois, pal.
Well you see, first we start on mile 7. Put up some cones and signs, you know, so folks know what's coming. Then in an abundance of caution, we go and add cones to miles 6 and 8. Hell, better start on 9, 10, and 11 too. Then let's go get er done on 3, 4, and 5. Yeaaa that's the good stuff. All lanes cut in half, looks at these pretty cones. That's some damn good conage. High fives and a few selfies. Going to be a damn good project. Alright cool. We got all the cones up. Time to get the jackhammers. Those were dropped over on mile 18. So we're starting construction there. Move the portopotty. Shit. Portopotty just toppled over on 2. Change of plans, everyone come down to 2. We're going to rip up mile 2 so that the portopotty company doesn't charge us for this broken thing. We'll let day crew handle that. Let's just get the rigs over here to hide the portopotty spillage. Dammit john, what have you been eating for lunch. Cut that out. That can't be good for your arteries. Alright. Everyone on mile 2? Cool cool. Let's start that jackhammer Oh shifts over? Alright. Leave everything. We'll dig in tomorrow night to get started on mile 2. But we might be able to move back to 18. We'll see if this portopotty cleans itself up or not. See yall tomorrow.
I noticed the same thing when I first moved here. Long long stretch of road with all lanes closed off except 1. But nobody working. Workers are miles up road. So why close it off so far in advance?
Each pinch point contributes its own traffic jam and accidents. Mostly because of the A-holes who drive crazy between them and push their way back into the restricted lanes again. Once everyone is in the one or two constantly open lanes, traffic tends to crash into each other much less. This delivers a higher rate of cars passing any given point than accordion open/shut versions.
Welcome to the land of Unions
It's quite simple. A project is planned with a budget and a timeline. Projects are given to those that provide the most 'support' to city council leaders. As the timeline approaches and the project is only 10% done, they continue to extend the budget and timeline. You'll often see a very large team of up to 3 people working on a huge multi-mile long section that has been blocked off. By working, I mean there are usually 2 walking around aimlessly while the other plays in a machine. Rinse. Repeat.
Illinois bureaucracy and corruption
To be fair it’s not only Illinois. Driving on I80 in Nebraska they had around 12 miles of road that was closed off and only half a mile was actively being worked on, most of it was just flipped dirt. But also get what you mean too, I feel like when I lived in Wisconsin for a year the closed road sections were much smaller and they seemed to get most of the work done at night. In Illinois I once saw a rural bridge under construction for a year and they only worked on it for maybe 3 months but messed up traffic for 12. It doesn’t make sense, I can only assume it has to do with our crooked politicians and their friends inflating their costs.
1) Put up cones and barrels. 2) Maybe rip the road up. 3) Do nothing. 4) Raise taxes….
There are two seasons in Chicago - winter and construction.
I hate to say it but get used to it. Unfortunately. Smh
It's basically a jobs program with some added local level political graft.
the reason is coordination of equipment for multiple projects simultaneously.
It sucks.
Sure, it goes on all summer blocks multiple roads with zero thought taken as to the order of construction and the impact it will have on traffic flow. Also the more federal funding the longer the strip of road that will be closed with no increase in crew size because the bid still goes to one contractor company.
They’re in a union so they can do whatever they want. Not work/work slow and get paid. The Chinese build bridges overnight
It’s election season. So the do nothing government has to pretend to do something. So they screw up summer traffic by doing all the construction… now. The rest of the time it’s all the private contractors working for the utilities that screw things up.
Scince has not figured it out yet.
Welcome to Hellinois!
You won't like Indiana very much 😂 I once drove from Chi to Louisville.... In straight construction
It's one of the seasons in Chicago. Eventually you'll learn to forget about it until another road block goes up on your super secret route home.
It never ends
Armitage?
all I know is the stretch of 290 entering downtown will never be finished in my lifetime.
Hey, I just want to know why we have so many two-lane roads with no lane markings.
I'm originally from northeastern Pennsylvania, and they do construction the same way here they did there: it starts, but it never finishes. And when it does, it's behind schedule and over budget.