The Case of the Orange Cones

Posted on October 6, 2008 by administrator

Leaving downtown Richmond I headed east on I-64, cruising at the speed limit towards a final destination of Virginia Beach. Things seemed to be going very well. A quick stop in Williamsburg provided a barbeque “fix”. I resumed my journey home.

Suddenly traffic came to a grinding halt. For a moment it seemed to provide the perfect opportunity to eat my barbeque sandwich without worrying about losing a grip on the steering wheel. But that line of thinking ended very quickly when it appeared I might be in gridlocked traffic for hours.

The culprit suddenly appeared in the form of a sign reading “Right Lane Closed Ahead. Merge Left”. Of course most drivers in the right lane ignored the sign and blasted ahead, trying to bully their way to the beginning of the lane rather than waiting their turn like the rest of us. Of course this behavior caused the left lane to come to a screeching halt while the bullies in the right lane merged into the only continuing lane. One mile turned into many with no closed right lane appearing. The bullies continued their push to the head of the line.

Knowing that everything would be better when we reached the spot where the right lane was blocked, I stretched my neck to see if that spot lay close ahead. Nothing…. The traffic continued to creep. I grew tired and frustrated. Miles turned into more miles with nothing except more signs reading, “Lane closed ahead.” My resentment at the bullies in the right lane grew. So I inched forward as close as I could to the car ahead of me, refusing access to those trying to fight their way to the beginning of the line. That proved useless as the bullies just zoomed further forward, finding some unwitting soul to allow them to merge left.

Would the closed lane never appear? I envisioned remaining in that traffic line throughout the night, and maybe on into days, months and years. Miles of forest land provided no opportunity for relieving the boredom. And still no closed lane on the right…..

Finally when I thought I might be about to lose my mind I spotted a large blinking arrow attempting to force the traffic of the right lane into that of the left. Hope began to dwell in my heart. Maybe the rest of my life would not be spent on I-64 East. My quest to inch as close as possible to the car ahead resumed, as the bullies were now aggressively trying to merge into my lane. I fought the urge to roll down my window and call the orange cone purveyors incompetent morons.

Suddenly the cones appeared! I felt as if there were angels overhead singing songs of praise. But my feeling of elation quickly turned into a curiosity as to what VDOT project had caused my long delay. As I began the journey through the one lane labyrinth I scanned the right lane for construction. Nothing… The further I continued the more puzzled I became. Still nothing…. I reached the end of the section of “Right Lane Closed” and there was absolutely no roadwork, nothing at all………

Those experiences were brought to memory last week when I experienced a one and a half hour delay due to orange cones blocking a lane in the Hampton Roads Tunnel. Ten o’clock in the evening during the first week of tourist season is certainly an odd time for a man made traffic jam. Can we send the Orange Cone Fairy to Wyoming or New Hampshire?

Posted in Tidewater, Virginia | Leave a comment

The Southeastern Expressway – A Road Whose Time Has Come

Posted on October 6, 2008 by administrator

A few years ago the Southeastern Expressway died an untimely death when the City of Chesapeake nixed their portion of the project. Recently the project has resurfaced with hints of possible success this time around.

The Southeastern Expressway would connect I-264, near the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, with I-64 at Dominion Boulevard. The road would cut through what is now heavily developed suburbia with important stops at Oceana and Dam Neck Roads. Anyone who has traveled the route from Deep Creek to the Oceanfront will well understand that this road would not only cut an extreme amount of time from the Chesapeake to Oceana commute, but it would also relieve a great deal of congestion on both I-64 and I-264. The proposed parkway would siphon off tourists heading from the south to the oceanfront and also Virginia Beach residents headed to the Outer Banks. The commute for Currituck county, NC residents working in Virginia Beach would become a more pleasant one.

Is there anyone who wouldn’t profit from the addition of this roadway? Of course we will be presented with arguments against the project due to its adverse affect on the environment and wildlife. Although those arguments have merit, some sacrifice must be made for progress. The cities will be required to replace destroyed wetlands. What better place to add grassy open areas than as a buffer zone around our valued Oceana Master Jet Base.

How will the project be funded? Tidewater residents have already soundly defeated a sales tax referendum to fund this and other road projects. I completely agree with this decision by the electorate. It is the users who should pay for road improvements.

My vote is for tolls and a gasoline tax increase. How many of us who have spent hours stuck in traffic between Hampton and Richmond would not gladly toss a few dollars into a toll bin to avoid the loss of our valuable time? Allow the drivers who benefit from the road to make a substantial contribution to its construction.

A secondary funding source should be the reform of VDOT. Require more efficiency from that department and their chosen contractors. Please – no more programmable roads signs and new interstate rest areas until our highway needs are met!

So I say, “Yes!” to the Southeastern Expressway. Its a road whose time has come.

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Hello World!

Posted on October 6, 2008 by administrator

Welcome to Carol’s Blog, a forum to share my thoughts and yours.

The vision for the beginning of this endeavor came from frustration felt on a genealogical research trip.  The day had been spent at the well stocked DAR Library in Washington, DC. One would think, with the current popularity of genealogical research, that the library would have been overflowing with individuals diligently working to document their past. Not so………  The library was, instead, almost empty.

The reason can be easily explained. Today’s genealogical beginner operates under the assumption that all her research can be successfully conducted on the internet. Not so…….. Successfully uncovering family secrets that have been lost to time can only come through primary source records. Only a small fraction plethora of information required has been transcribed and/or digitized and made available in cyberspace. The rest require good old fashioned research at libraries, archives, and courthouses in your locations of interest.

Even worse speculative and inaccurate information circulated over the internet discourage researchers from finding the true answers.  What can be worse than thinking one’s ancestor is someone who really wasn’t!

In the coming days, weeks, months and years we will blog research, among other things.  Thoughts and ideas are ever seeking to make the journey from mind to keyboard.

(Note:  A software upgrade on my Web Host has required a conversion to a new software package.  Therefore you will find in the Archives a number of older postings with a current date.)

Posted in A Little Bit of Everything Else | Leave a comment