Say Thank You

By Joe Rector

Believe it or not, the next phase of the Schaad Road extension is in its last days. Paving has been completed on most of the road. After first deciding not to place a red light at Andes Road, Knox County discovered what a dangerous intersection existed there, and as of today, the light is in operation. Residents who have lived through this three-year project are more than a little unhappy that a strip between Fitzgerald Road and the construction project and another strip on Byington Solway Road from Boss Road to the new lanes have been left unpaved. After all that residents have put up with over the last few years, expecting those areas to be resurfaced is not such a big request. We’ll have to see what the folks at the highway department have to say.

This project was a huge undertaking for the county. Two bridges were constructed to go over the railroad tracks, and a few miles of pastureland were converted to road. The work was slow and tedious as mountains of dirt were hauled to both places. The sound of beeping trucks backing up to dump their loads went on all day long. Good weather prevailed most of the time, but some weeks turned the construction area into a soupy swamp. In the end, however, this new road has taken a flood of cars that often sat in place as trains passed or as turn lanes filled up.

All of us complain too much. I freely admit that my patience is short and that my ire arises when things don’t seem to run efficiently. What I realized yesterday as I talked to Kyle, who works for West Knox Utilities, is that hundreds of employees from several companies have toiled in freezing cold and blistering heat to make this new road possible. When the county decides to take on a project like the Schaad Road Extension, several things must occur first. Utilities have to be moved. West Knox Utilities had to move water and sewer lines so that they were aligned with the new pipes they installed. Digging those trenches and making things fit are laborious tasks. Telephone poles had to be removed and replaced so that the lines could be rerouted.

I was thankful that the paving on the new road occurred during the cool weather of early spring. The tar was still steaming, but at least the temperatures weren’t as sweltering as they might soon become with summer. Such hard, hot, and sometimes boring work was completed rather quickly once it started. I am also thankful that workers with stop signs stood at endpoints to direct traffic. How many accidents they prevented is anyone’s guess. My entire body aches, especially my legs, when I think about having to stand in place for an entire workday to direct traffic. Boredom and an aching back would overcome me before much time had passed.

I’m sure I’ve left out other groups of workers who participated on this project. It began with the extension at Oak Ridge Highway in the early 2000s. In 2025, this phase will be finished. Then the next stage, either the widening of Schaad Road to Pleasant Ridge Road or Lovell Road to Shaffer Road, will be underway. I have no doubt that I’ll be long gone from this world before the projects are finished. So, I’ll say thank you to all who work on them and the recently completed section. We know how hard you have worked and appreciate your efforts to make traveling the roads easier. If we could just convince MPC and other folks to quit turning every empty parcel of land into a subdivision, life would be peachy. Otherwise, in no time at all, the same traffic snarls will once again gridlock our communities.

The next time you have a crew working in your neighborhood, speak kindly to them. Maybe you can even offer them something cold to drink. Remember, they are trying to make things better for you.