Dear editor, I have witnessed the seemingly never ending cycle of construction, tear out, construction, tear out and construction of Veterans Blvd. for more than four years.
I think about my mom’s job as a project manager on projects ranging in price from $200,000 to $200 million. I think of my father and his innate ability, through his multiple trade qualifications, to take on a project and deliver it on time and on budget regardless of the scope of the job. And then I drive through another day of bumps, police directing traffic and hold ups too numerous to remember.
I know Airdrie is growing fast, I know Airdrie must plan for where the city is gong to be in one, five, 20 years. I understand that design, outside vendors and contractors must be consulted. I realize that budgets are created based on need, cost and permanence. But I also know that to build without clear and decisive future planning is like spitting into the wind.
Clearly, those in the know were not consulted regarding present or future needs such as water, sewer, power, communications, gas, traffic signalling or lighting. If the City did consult those in the know, they must have missed the boat when it came to implementing the future needs or even the basic needs of this little stretch of roadway.
Most of the construction seems to have been redone because the required infrastructure was not in place prior to backfill, packing, curbing and paving. Most electrical, sewer, water, gas and communications have been installed after the roadway was constructed. This is ridiculous, as every time a horizontal drill rig is called in or a trench must be dug, we spend money, waste time and disrupt traffic for things that could have been done prior to roadway build up.
Every time we bring in a hoe, a drill rig or a paving cutter we are going backwards. We waste hundreds of thousands of dollars and we show just how stupid we are as a collective. Who are these people, writing the cheques for these after thoughts? Are they mindless scrubs who can not see the forest for the trees or are they just so corrupt that they think the money just grows on trees?
In my opinion, there have not been any road projects recently completed that have not seen silly amounts of reconstruction along the way. We supposedly, through our elections, put people in place to watch out for such silliness. We supposedly hire the best of vendors and contractors. Do none of these people have the smarts to build a simple road without having to redo it four or five times in as many years?
Chelsea Stone, Airdrie
