Highway Prioritzation

Unfortunately I need to drive to work every day. I'd prefer it if I could take the train, but I can't. I live in a part of the Boston 'burbs that would require me to take a 40 minute car commute and turn it into a highly scheduled, 90 minute train commute. In my time in the car, commuting to work I've become quite familiar with the dismal condition of the Commonwealth's road ways. While the roads aren't as bad as the roads found in the Himalayas, they are certainly sub-par for a First World Country such as ours.

Potholed, uneven surfaces patched many times over, water collecting dips and severely sinking man hole and storm drain covers make for a tough ride, regardless of municipality and local tax base. The roads around here stink.

Imagine my surprise when I noticed the paving crews alongside Nonantum and Soldiers' Filed Roads (that I drive twice-daily) -- alongside being the operative preposition . . . They were digging up and resurfacing the recreational path that sits between the road and the Charles River. It's a nice section of road, one I've often thought I'd like to run, or bike. I commend the Commonwealth for improving the user experience of this trail along the river.

however, I ask, did anybody in the bureaucracy look at the road alongside which they replaced the path? Did they not think it important to fix this road so that the substrate is not exposed? Do they think rim bending potholes do not warrant repair? The prioritization process that lead to the upgrade of the recreational trail over the roadway that carries people to and from work every day is laughable, and a classic example of how the leaders of the commonwealth think, or don't. I was talking about roadways with a friend of mine and mentioning how a regions roads tell much about a place. The roads in and around Boston speak volumes.