Originally Posted by squeakywheel
Crap!
The morons are rebuilding the road almost exactly as it was before. They tore up 8 miles of asphalt and couldn't be bothered to put down an extra 3 feet on each side for bike lanes when they rebuilt it. Boo hoo. What decade is this anyway. Hasn't there been some progress in civil engineering in the past 40 years. There is plenty of room for bike lanes. There's 8 feet of shoulder on each side of the road. Jeebus. Maybe I should write one of those pointless letters to the editor for the local news paper.
I work for the local DOT desiging roads, and it's not as easy as plopping down some fresh asphalt. That shoulder is there for a reason, and a lot is required just for another 3ft. The extra land (ROW, easements, etc) has to be purchased from land owners at fair market value. Engineers have to spend extra time designing drainage, grading, intersections, etc to accomodate the extra (bike) lane. Utilities going underneath the roadway have to be lengthened and all checked by various inspectors and planners. Extra time is spent actually constructing the roadway with the extra lane, and it all adds up to some serious man-hours spent both designing and building.
I joke with my family/friends when they ask me, "Can you widen _______ Road?". My reply is, "Can I raise taxes?" ...there's your answer.
