Monday, November 2, 2009

Washington: Make Me a Millionaire!

Road construction is the fifth Michigan season. Sometimes it's affectionately referred to as "Orange barrel season," and how we so enjoy it - not. The most local project for us has been a multi-year widening of the road our boys' schools are on. That means that four plus times a day for the last many school years, I've been blessed enough to sit in construction traffic. Last week, the section in front of their schools finally opened and we all sobbed in joy as we viewed the five wide-open traffic lanes.

The only reason I share that with you is because just north of that construction area is an intersection - a narrow, dangerous, complete congestion of roadway. The original plan was that the road widening would go through that intersection, but it stopped just before it and resumed after it. The authorities cited lack of funds for buying out the viable businesses which surround that intersection (even as they found minimal funds to reduce homeowners' front yards to 6-foot grass strips.)

Among the businesses there are a party store (known as a liquor store in other worlds), a shack which masquerades as a hardware store, and an empty carry-out restaurant. Ironically enough, the restaurant was purchased last year by a new owner and has set idle while local gossip says that he purchased it knowing the road expansion was coming and that he would make a tidy profit off the purchase of his land -- even though he never managed to open his new restaurant. Ironic, I said? Yes, since the construction stopped when his land was deemed too valuable for the county and state to afford to purchase it.

I smiled when I heard that. Gluttony never wins. Then, last week, officials announced that there are Washington funds available and that those funds would be coming to a local intersection and closed restaurant near me.

You'll have to excuse me now while I go locate and purchase corner property with a shack on it and wait for Washington to make me an offer I can't refuse.

14 comments:

Unknown said...

Serves him right! I hate those bottle neck situations...they only seem to make it worse.

MsTypo said...

We suffered through Construction Season every year in Toronto too. How badly must a road be built that it needs to be shut down and repaved EVERY FREAKING year?! *sigh*

I Am Woody said...

God, I just love road construction!! We travel I-75 between Chattanooga and Knoxville, TN regularly. Where it begins in Chatt to about 20 miles north has been under construction for the last 15 years!! What the hell could they be building that takes 15 years?!?

Decadent Housewife said...

So now I know where you find time to write blog posts.

Busy Bee Suz said...

I also hate it when Gluttony does win out....oh, well, you will at least have a nice chance to see the orange cones/barricades again.

As Cape Cod Turns said...

I'll go in on that shack with you!

Unknown said...

LOL! Seems the same here...10 years ago, they opened up a new road to divert traffic...businesses went up like wildfire...you would think they would anticipate things such as that....oh no ...they have to continually widen and "remake"...and St Rd 26 has been under construction for at least 5 years now! When so many other roads really need the new "facelift"!

Betty W said...

Being stuck in construction traffic can be miserable! Are there no ways around it?
I hope you find a lot to sell to the government! :)

betty said...

of course they probably couldn't have done that construction at your son's school during summer vacation

hoping you find just the right lot! some people have just the right knack at being at the right place at the right time to make a deal like this non-existent restaurant owner might be able to do; I'm not that fortunate though, hope you are!

betty

Mental P Mama said...

I want in on it, too!

Noe Noe Girl...A Queen of all Trades. said...

Need an investment partner?
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Lawyer Mom said...

Oh, dear. Gluttony wins in my kitchen a lot these days, especially when it's dressed up in a Kraft mac 'n cheese box.

Troop Scoop said...

Wouldn't that be AWESOME?! I wish I was sitting on 1/100 of a gold mine! Oh, well...

T said...

I seemed to have moved from one construction zone (Knoxville/Chattanooga TN - blech) to the Maryland one. Say hello to the god awful ICC (Inter County Connector) that has been "in the work" for over 20 - yes! 20 years. They just started buildng it last summer.