Have you noticed the increased road construction yet?

Whether you’ve noticed or not, it’s coming. It comes this time every year – road construction. Flaggers will appear with signs that say ‘STOP’ on one side and ‘SLOW’ on the other (not sure why they call them ‘flaggers’ anymore since they don’t actually use flags anymore).

You’ll also see more of those intrusive species – the road horses and hazard cones dotting the highways. And in among them, along with rock crushers, road graders, bulldozers, asphalt spreaders, etcetera, you’ll see those two-legged creatures of the species homo sapiens. This particular family of the species are easily identified by their fluorescent plumage.

You don’t want to hit the road cones or the road-construction equipment because of what it will do to your car. You really, really don’t want to hit one of the roadworkers because of what it can do to your liberty, wallet and peace of mind.

When you come upon a flock of road workers and their various utensils, you’re asked to slow down. This is a good idea – a very good idea. The two-legged critters are known to move about suddenly. Often, they are so focused on feathering their asphalt or concrete nest that they can inadvertently move into the path of passing vehicles.

The penalty for hitting a road worker can include an extended stay in prison and up to a $25,000 fine. That doesn’t include the price paid by your conscience.

One way to avoid the risk is to slow down. Another way is to avoid road construction, wherever possible. To help in that endeavor, the State of Illinois has provided a Website with a list of road construction projects: https://apps.dot.illinois.gov/roadconstructionpermits/roadConstructionReport.htm

It’s recommended that you do a word search for the communities you’ll pass through or near as the list is quite extensive, especially this time of year.

Comments

Is your antifreeze safe from freezing this Richmond winter

You still have time to have it checked Well, there’s no denying it – winter tends to get chilly here in Richmond. We have to deal with snow and ice on the roads, scraping the same off our windows and windshield, and staying warm while we drive. Of course, you had your antifreeze checked before winter rolled into town. What?! You didn’t have your antifreeze checked before winter clamped down on Richmond? So, how’s your antifreeze doing? If you haven’t had it checked, there’s really no way of knowing, is there? This car has overheated in the middle of a Richmond winter. But, on the other end of the spectrum, the antifreeze can also freeze if it's not up to its job. Hopefully, you haven’t had a serious problem with your antifreeze already. If you did, you’d probably know. When antifreeze fails, it’s a potentially catastrophic condition for your vehicle’s engine. You could have hoses that have burst because of freezing antifreeze. Worse than that, your engine block may have crac...

Blocks of ice falling from cars in McHenry could cause accidents or damage

We’ve all seen those blocks of snow falling from behind the rear tires of a car when the snow rolls into McHenry . Fortunately, they’re just packed snow that will disintegrate under your vehicle’s tires as you simply drive right through them, right? Don’t count on it. Those blocks of snow are often packed so tight, condensed by the thaw-and-freeze cycle, that they’re anything but oversized snowballs . They’re often more like boulders. Hit one of those blocks and the collision between the block and one of your tires could send you careening off the road or into oncoming traffic. In some cases, they’re so solid you could pound them with a sledgehammer with little effect. They truly can represent a serious road hazard. The problem is that it’s difficult to tell how solidly they’re packed when you see them on the road, left their unwittingly by another driver. Either way, your best bet is to try to avoid them. But you want to be careful dodging blocks of ice in the road, too. You need...

October 20 Hootenanny will benefit veterans with PTSD

Been to a Hootenanny lately? When you read that question did you ask, “What?” Well, if you have gone to a Hootenanny in a while, or if you don’t know what a hootenanny is, we have an event for Oct. 20 that will clear up either question. From 6 p.m. to Midnight, Saturday, Oct. 20, MC3, the McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce business networking group, is helping to host an inaugural Veterans R&R Wild Horse Hootenanny at Beyond Stable Farm (11129 Rte. 176, Woodstock). The event will benefit Veterans R&R Operation Wild Horse. Operation Wild Horse serves veterans with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Working with the horses has proven to have an incredibly calming effect on the veterans. And, it’s good for the horses, too, rescued wild mustangs. This means that the hootenanny is for a very good cause. But, it’s also a lot of fun. So, what is a hootenanny? According to a Google search, a hootenanny is “an informal gathering with folk music and sometimes dancing.” The V...

Performance Unlimited Blog

Search This Blog