To the Construction Workers on Interstate 380, I’m SO Sorry
I don't like roadwork... Not at all. I really don't. But who does? The Federal Government? The Iowa state government? Ehh, maybe. The hard working men and women who are actually out pounding the pavement might, I hope, enjoy their job. But certainly they don't expect motorists to like it. Why would anyone driving? No matter how lousy a road is, the inconvenience or road construction just... sucks. And the random patches of roadwork on Interstate 380 are no exception. Still, it doesn't excuse what happened...
No one's perfect, especially this motorist
Let me give you some context here before I make a formal apology. I live in Cedar Falls, and on most weekdays I commute to Cedar Rapids. Hence, I'm very familiar with the I-380 drive between Cedar Rapids and Waterloo. As spring has sprung, so has roadwork season. There's a lot of it now on roads, bridges and highways. Not a lot us motorists can do except slow down, or detour, and deal with it. Buuut, on my drive in today, something happened. And it was not Iowa Nice. It was, rude. It was also dangerous. This motorist is not perfect, and here's my apology... on their behalf.
On my drive today I witnessed a motorist driving rather fast through the roadwork, which is just past Urbana. During this 3, maybe 4 mile stretch, motorists are asked to slow to 55 mph as the road condenses to one lane. The construction crew was working near the edge of the closed lane, cutting into the cement. The above mentioned driver, certainly not going the 55 the speed limit signs asked us to go, finally had to slow down as they came up on a semi going much slower. This likely agitated them and, as they slowed, they edged towards the center and began knocking over the orange traffic cones that were set-up to keep drivers from veering into the closed right lane. Luckily, no one was working near this part of the construction zone, and hence they weren't in danger.
Roadwork sucks, but this doesn't help
Now someone has to pick-up the cones, set 'em up again, and continue on. This will no doubt slow down the very project this driver was so POed about encountering. In other words, this isn't just dangerous, it's about the worst form of roadwork protest.
It wasn't me, I promise. The car was red and small... I'm not a car guy. In any event, of behalf of whoever they are, I'm sorry.
Drive safe!
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