It caught me by surprise, I will admit. Yesterday, as I was headed home, I pulled onto the 103 from Exit 12. As I crossed the river and looked ahead, I could see bunches of traffic cones.
Or maybe they have a different name. They weren’t the little cones, you know, the pointy ones. These were the bigger ones. Not quite cone shaped, but they certainly get your attention. And there they were, marching up the hill ahead of me in single file, headed toward the new exit that is under construction.
As I got closer, I realized what they were doing. They were blocking off the passing lane and clearly marking the lanes going up the hill and around the corner toward Exit 13.
This is a really good idea. For several weeks now, going up that hill in the dark has been more than a little nerve wracking. It wasn’t so much the passing lane, it was the part at the top, as the passing mane comes to an end. Because of the construction, it was pretty hard to see where the passing lane ending. Or way any lane on the highway was, including the oncoming lane.
It was a bit tricky in the dark, but add in some rain and the even greater darkness that comes with weather like that and it was pretty tough to see where you were on the road.
I happened to check social media on Saturday night during the rain, and noticed a couple people mentioning it. There were a couple reminders about the area, and even for someone who drives that stretch a lot, it was tough to navigate. I can’t imagine those who aren’t familiar with the area, particularly on a dark and stormy night.
Thanks to the cones, or whatever you call their larger cousins, you know for sure what lane you’re in. Unless you’re really into driving a slalom course, which I do not recommend.
So thanks for putting those things up there. It makes things much easier.