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Editorial: Construction and summer travel
Op-Ed · July 21, 2016
Just a quick heads-up on all the construction going on around West Branch: Please be patient.
The City of West Branch and the National Park Service this summer both started several summer construction projects that disrupt walking and driving traffic, from sewer repairs on North Fourth Street to pavement upgrades on Parkside Drive to sidewalk replacement from Thomas Drive to Oliphant Street to boardwalk replacement just off Wetherell Street.
Traffic cones, a temporary stoplight, barricades and orange construction fencing mean taking side routes, adding extra time for travel, boil water orders and some confusion at times (we saw one car somehow stuck in the closed traffic lane on Parkside). But all this work will lead to improvements around the city and Hoover Complex.
The city and NPS hired contractors with the express direction to finish, cover up, or hold off on work that would get in the way of Hoover’s Hometown Days, and we hope that happens, especially that which would affect vehicle traffic. To be clear, this does not apply to all of the ongoing projects, but those in and around the festival area.
And Hoover’s Hometown Days begins in just about two weeks, if you can believe that.
So please continue to show patience around the work areas, and know that it is a welcome sign of progress and improvement in the city.
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