Mequon Clog: The Blog of the Clog!

They cleared the gravel away so they could lay asphalt down. Its a construction zone, deal with it.

Clog comment: This is exactly the attitude that makes this entire project dangerous and frustrating beyond belief. This attitude that the world needs to get out of the way so that you can work, without a concern back towards those you are supposedly doing this for, is what drives the frustration you see posted on this site and is said in numerous conversations daily. For this particular case, I'm glad to hear that there is some sort of reason behind it, but again I'll state that there were no warnings of this change nor signs indicating that there now existed a ridge of this significant size.

This 3+ mile construction zone has been going on for 3+ months now. We have been "dealing with it". It isn't like we pass by a building that is under construction. This is our main, and in some cases only, way from our homes to wherever we need to go.

If you really want to, there are ways to avoid the whole construction zone. Drive through other subdivisions, take Highland, Pioneer, or Brown Deer Roads. The only people who have to deal with it are people who actually live on mequon rd. Everyone else in the world can avoid it if they really want to.
The fact of the matter is, people are creatures of habit, they find that one way to go the the store, and now thats the only way to go. I live and work in Mequon, my job includes alot of driving, I deal with it. WIDOT does alot of construction jobs, they know what their doing, they know how to do it and their doing the best they can. Its not a city project and the city has nothing to do with it at all. Bothering the mayor wont solve anything. They tried to leave the road open for the communuity, now I bet they regret it and wish they just closed it off 100% so they could just get the work done. The only people that are posting are Mequon Residents, yes we have to deal with it on a daily basis but alot of other people passing through do to and I dont see them posting.
Lets put it this way. Even when there was no construction, people would drive the wrong way down mequon road, hit bumps, find holes or road debris. Its a construction zone now, there are plenty of signs that post that its a construction zone. If you didnt expect to find dangers in a construction zone, what kind of life are you living?

"This attitude that the world needs to get out of the way so that you can work..."


Ummm... How else is the work going to get done?

Perhaps they should have just shut the whole road down. Put up chain-link fencing to keep you out.

Or they could have just chosen not to do the project at all. Spend the money on some other road.

But they chose to try to give you as much access as possible. But they still need to get the work done, and you're not even willing to grant them that much.

What a whiney, selfish attitude you and others in Mequon have.

"This 3+ mile construction zone has been going on for 3+ months now. We have been "dealing with it". "

Wow. A whole three months.

Do you have any idea of what's really involved in a project of this sort? Of course you don't. You've proven that over and over again.

The biggest mistake made to date? Starting the project in the first place. The money should have been spent on a project where people can appreciate what's being done for them.

Grow-up, and stop whining like a baby because you can't handle the way the world works.

Sorry, but this last set of comments is coming from the perspective of "I own everything and out of the goodness of my heart, maybe I'll share". I didn't ask for this project, I wasn't informed one iota about it, and I also would have preferred for the DOT to have found a different road in the middle of Timbuktu to work on rather than this one. Sounds like we're in agreement on that last point.

To your point about a "project of this sort" - you are absolutely correct, I don't have an idea. For all I know, you are tearing up good road and replacing it. Maybe you are repairing structure issues that have been destroying the underlying soil. I've said it many times, there has been zero information disseminated concerning this project. And that fault is NOT with the construction company but the DOT coordination.

Concerning your later point, because people have voiced their first amendment right to express their frustration over this project, we're repeatedly considered "whiny and selfish". We are students that go to school, adults that go to work, volunteers that help others, and families that go shopping at the grocery store. The prior post mentions that we are creatures of habit. He is correct, but obviously there is a reason for it. Mequon Road is the main way to get through town from one end to the other. For whatever reason, Highland and Donges Bay don't compare in the level of traffic.

Find a path from Hwy 57 to Homestead High School, for example, that is less than 6 miles if the road were entirely closed. In reality, this alternative path could have been faster than the 1/2 mile (that was the case weeks back, I couldn't say now because I haven't gone that far west on Mequon Rd in about 2 months). Taking side roads to get to Hwy 43 still leaves you at the corner of Port Washington and Mequon Road waiting in line. Note: This is improving quite a bit over the past day or so -- I see that there are now two lanes coming from the north on Mequon Rd -- thank you (and that is not sarcastic).

As I've also said, inconvenience is not a problem. So leave 5 or 10 minutes earlier. Big deal. A firetruck and ambulance stuck in traffic, an open sewer, unexpected & unmarked objects in and around the road or the issue that drove the creation of this blog. This project would have benefited greatly through communication with those in the vicinity and simply having someone focus on potential safety issues.

I'm sure when this project is over, the people of Mequon will be as happy with the road (likely with some going over the speed limit and getting pulled over) as the company is to leave it (with the millions in revenues).

A few follow-up thoughts ...

To give some credit where it is due -- the ride from Range Line to Hwy 43 in the morning has been much better the past several weeks (except several occasions when stuck behind a slow moving vehicle). I don't know if this due to the split in the road to two lanes near Port Rd or reduced traffic.

As a future recommendation for the DOT or the construction company, a simple website with a quick daily or weekly update on upcoming plans would be very beneficial. It would give some helpful information as well as send the message that there is a working relationship between those involved in the project and those impacted. Doesn't take much, just a few bullet points regularly.

I know that the Marquette project is on an entirely different magnitude, but I remember when going to several businesses downtown that they had interchange information in all the packets handed out and posted in various locations. Perhaps a few info signs in local grocery stores and the like would equally help.

Mike makes me laugh. He states that the only ones having to deal with the construction work are those living on Mequon road, and everyone else can just ignore Mequon Road and it's existence.

Go into ANY business near Mequon and Port Washington Road, or Cedarburg and Mequon Road and ask them how this project has affected them.

Ask the students at Homestead (who initially weren't informed about this project until after it had started).

Ask the EMS/Police and Fire vehicles needing to get to emergencies.

I welcome the work being done and that isn't the issue. The necessity is agreed upon, the execution is not.

Even today, I drove down Mequon Road and barrels were rolling in the road. At night, there are no blinkers, just non-reflective caution tape.

Mike, you need to get over the fact that the work was done, it was necessary (seemingly), but the catalog of errors, mismanagement and incidences that have occured, really is quite a large amount for such a small project.

Mike

I appreciate your positive perspective on the people doing the construction, but you are obviously not being realistic.

1) of course the Mequon residents are the ones complaining - this is not of a concern to the residents of West Allis or Brookfield!!

2) We have all driven by road construction projects all over the state - and there are many ongoing projects we are all aware of of - this project has clearly failed to meet many basic safetry issues, and is performing very poorly in executing the work in a timely fashion. This is not meant to be mean or condescending - it is just frustrating for everyone.

3)I and many others have been very patient and respectful and appreciative of the workers, but someone in the planning and directing is just not doing their job.

Talk to the store owners, the residents, the people at the gas stations or your local church - we all either witnessed or experienced confusing and dangerous situations.

4) There is no need to get personal with and nasty in describing hundreds of people you never met "whiney, selfish attitude you and others in Mequon have" especially when they are the ones paying the taxes and footing the bill!"