Becky Says...

July 2003

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July 10

Some days, getting to work is a challenge. Yes, I'm sure we've all had such thoughts, but today's for me was a challenge of a different sort entirely.

There is in all of the greater Chapel Hill area a grand total of one railroad track. I live quite near it; in fact, I've been known to go stand on the end of my porch and watch the train go by. And depending on the freight schedule and mine, the train may or may not be coming near the time I leave home on any given day. This isn't a problem. The train is usually made up of fewer than ten cars and passes quickly.

It's very difficult to get from my home to work without crossing the track at all. In fact, the only ways I know how to do it would involve going at least six miles out of my way one direction or another. Not something to do if one is in any sort of hurry to get to where I work. You know, like wanting to get there before the day is over.

Anyway, today's challenge wasn't the train. It was the track. The transportation people have been replacing crossties all along the track, and have been doing some repaving of crossings as they went along. Today it was the turn of the crossing near me to be worked on.

Which would not have been quite so much a problem had anyone bothered to say so earlier. There were many places where announcement signs could have been posted, and should have, since closing this particular crossing meant closing a segment of one of the main ways people go across town. Yes, closing the segment in both directions.

The first I knew of it, I was heading out onto said road from my parking lot. It's the only way out of the complex by car, by the way. The only thing I could do was turn the other direction and hope for the best. Of course, this would be the day I had planned to stop for gasoline on the way to work, and to get some air put into a slack tire. Which I was going to do in one stop. Wrong!

I wound up going to the garage where I usually get any needed repair work done to get the air for the tire, and putting off the gasoline. After I got the tire taken care of, I wound up driving through very heavy traffic --- and finding out which segment of the track they'll be working on on Saturday, since that information was already posted.

To add to the joys of the trip to work, one lane of the main street through Chapel Hill was closed for resurfacing. And other parts of that street were without their lane markings, which just added to the general confusion. I was greatly relieved when I got all the way to where I was going.

I was, of course, later than usual getting to work, but no one was surprised since they know where I live. Turned out a client had been late for the same reason. So when I showed up, I was greeted with, "Railroad crossing?" All I had to do was nod.