Orange Barrels, Orange Cones … and Orange Safety Vests?

What happened to the good old days when you could hop in your car and drive forever without seeing one orange barrel or one “road work ahead” sign?  Today those signs pop up everywhere and instantly you’re wedged in between a semi truck and a concrete barrier wall turning your nice little drive into a trip from hell.  By the time you get through all the lane narrowing, right/left shoulder closed, detour ahead and the idiots riding your tail, your heart is beating a mile a minute and you literally have to peel your hands off the steering wheel!

Welcome to spring and summer road construction season!  It’s that time of year again for the “orange invasion.” Orange cones, orange barrels and don’t forget the stylish orange safety vest apparel worn by the highway crews.  To add to the mess, spring and summer are the busiest times on the roadways.  Spring break is a popular time for college students to hit the open road for warmer destinations and summer has families flocking to their summer destinations.

This year with the economy the way it is and gas prices lower, more and more families are taking road trips instead of flying to save money.  My husband and I (being one of those families) decided to take the kids to Florida for their ten day spring break this year.  We figured since we’re going to be there that long it would be nice to have our own car to use.

From our home in Kentucky to Ft Myers, Florida it’s approximately a 16 hour drive.  However that’s without road construction!   We had planned to drive it in one day, but the “orange invasion” had a different idea.  After sitting in hours of slowed traffic in Kentucky, Tennessee and northern Georgia (not even hitting Atlanta yet) we decided to call it a day, get a hotel room and start off early the next morning.  The next day started off with a barrel-free drive through Atlanta, Georgia in the HOV – High Occupancy Vehicle lane (best thing since sliced bread).  After that it was pretty much downhill from there with more lane closures and “extreme delay” signs through Georgia and Florida.  However, we made it there in one piece and got to enjoy some beautiful days at the beach so it was all worth it!  But next time we’re definitely flying!

As much as we drivers hate all the orange barrels and road construction you’ve got to hand it to the highway work crews.  It’s a dangerous job and unfortunately you still have these idiot drivers that can’t read or understand what “slow down” means and they go flying through talking away on their cell phone at 80 mph.  For highway crews, safety is their number one priority.  You’ll notice their safety workwear always consists of high visibility safety vests and hard hats as well as steel-toed boots and non-slip gloves.

So next time you’re driving in your car and see those orange barrels signaling a highway work zone (and believe me you will), take a deep breath, slow down and show a little respect for the men and women who are out there making a living.