Last week, I wrote about roadwork north of Lloydminster. This week, however, my focus is on the Russian roulette that is navigating construction in the Border City.
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Inspiration for this column came Monday morning after making the mistake of taking 49 Ave. north of the Lloyd Ex to get to work.
That stretch of 49 Ave. between 57 St. and 62 St. is always a gamble. The likelihood of that unpaved section of road being a minefield depends on a couple of factors: when the city last graded the road and recent rainfall.
Heading into work on Monday, I was certain the road was graded the previous Friday. I did, however, fail to remember how much rain we got over the weekend.
As I reached the north entrance of the Lloyd Ex, I knew I was in trouble. There was a jacked-up truck doing a U-turn in the middle of the road to retreat to the pavement, and vehicles in the distance appeared to be Mexican jumping beans.
I made my way north on the shoulder to avoid as many holes as possible. I was almost at the south entrance to the Meridian Source yard when the impatient driver behind me floored it and passed me in the middle of the minefield.
Sorry, I wasn’t risking my suspension so you could get your morning Tims on time, bro.
The alternative involves snaking through construction along Highway 17 north of the tracks, or going north on the dump road, which I’ve done several times to avoid the minefield.
I guess we’ll all just have to be patient until road-work season concludes.
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