Kudos to TexDot

[Dragonrider]

Some of you may recall me griping about a utility cover or hatch missing in the left lane of SB US75, just south of the "High Five" construction (I missed it by luck, and only by the skin of my teeth).

This thing could have been lethal to a motorcycle, as even a momentary loss of control there would be catastrophic due to the missing shoulder and concrete walls. I suspect anybody that hit it slower than 70mph or so could get airborne.

It finally occurred to me to poke around the web a bit and report the problem to TxDot. Reported it at 7:00pm Tuesday night, and got this response Wednesday after lunch:

The box was filled with asphalt earlier today. Thank you very much for pointing this out to us. Please forward any other complaints directly to me.

Praxedis Garza, P.E.
TxDOT Project Manager
Dallas High Five Project

Fast response, no questions asked, problem resolved (confirmed visually on this morning's commute).

Kudos to TexDot and Mr. Garza for a rapid and effective response.

[John]

interchanges

Living next door to the 'Vortex' interchange of IH 820 / TX121 & TX 183, I hope we never get a little ground shaker, as I can just envision these bridges lying in crumpled heaps. 5 layers of bridges...What's that going to be like when we get one of our ice storms? You think a freeway bridge just crossing a surface street is bad? Can you say "Cluster ****?"

[Dragonrider]

Well, they are looking at revenue shortages for the roads here . . . maybe they should build big bleachers around "high five" and charge admission when there is an ice storm!

Ought to be interesting!



ps: Buy stock in auto body shops!

[John]

gambling on accidents

Maybe they could raise money that way. I'd be willing to bet that Billy Bubba Tex Leroy Jim Bob with his 85 Ford Dualie and the 44inch mud tires, and cases of empty Budwieser cans in the bed lands on the roof of his truck and not on the wheels when he flips over the guard rail at 60 mph in the first ice storm. having grown up in Maine, I get a good laugh watching some of these Bubba brained idiots driving on the ice like it was dry pavement. I realize that only driving in those conditions once or twice a year doesn't give one much practice, but using some common sense would keep most folks out of the ditch. Just driving to the airport on slick roads is a laugh unto itself, and there aren't any big interchanges between the Vortex, and the north entrance to DFW. It seems like the worse the weather, the stupider the drivers. Like my wife, who is Ft.Worth born and bred says,"Be careful...there's Texans out there"