Highway Construction Woes

The local section of interstate is under construction for dozens of miles. It's necessary, since what is being replaced was built in the late fifties and early sixties. It's a mess, and with what we call the walls of death, with the lack of a service road for miles, a fender-bender can shut it down for hours. 

A local news report told of the frustration of  those taking a busy exit, the huge number of tire-busting potholes, and made me think of my experiences in the past. It, also, made me wonder who's watching the contractor and insuring safe travel. 

In Texas, highway projects have a bid item for detours. There are also force accounts, or change orders,  that are used to take care of unforeseen problems. All only require a little extra paper work, and the dreaded demand for more money by the contractor. 

Before I retired, my experience with TxDot wasn't that good. There were a few inspectors, and engineers, that were what I considered qualified, but not enough. With the invasive micro-management so rampant, the loss of good people by attrition, and budget concerns due to plans sometimes assembled without good review, too many problems that had easy solutions could shut a project down, while waiting for a change order. Where in the past, many change orders only required a handshake on the project, now the unwillingness to pay for the work leads to additional costs, and claims, until an official piece of paper finally makes it through the bureaucracy. 

As for the pothole problem? I have a feeling there is a demand to fix the potholes, and the paperwork is in the works. That, or the contractor, and inspector, really don't care. Either way, the problem could be fixed by a crew with a backhoe, and a few tons of cold mix asphalt. The project is so large, the cost to do this is inconsequential to the final total cost. How it reached this point is beyond my comprehension, but that's how it is, and one of the reasons I retired.