County roads
The Romans were able to build a network of highways across Italy and their entire empire crossing many regions with far more ground shifting due to volcanic activity than we experience in most of Hawaii County.
Many of those roads still exist today over 2,000 years later, not because they used such huge stones to lay the roads, but because they used a series of layers in the foundation under the pavement that kept the surface intact while allowing for slippage below.
The nice folks who build our roads do so in such a way that they need rebuilding within a few years, and like Waianuenue Avenue, take amazingly long periods of time to be finished.
That said, the road surfacing often looks good when they are done and stays smooth for many months before the washboard effect reappears, but what harms the appearance of the road is usually the painting of the lines, just as the recent article on Waianuenue mentioned.
Not only do the road painters completely ignore their orders to add bike lanes, but they fail to be able to paint straight lines, especially in the middle of the road.
The dashed central line often zigzags around like the operator who painted it was very high — and apparently so were all the other workers, because no one noticed.
Really, the folks who build the roads are nice as can be but are doing a horrible job, and it is completely possible to have a good job done instead. I think we deserve as much.
And on busy roads, the work should be done at night, just like the rest of the world does it.
Outside ideas aren’t always wrong.
Carl Oguss
Hilo
Unsafe rally
On Friday, July 15, I was driving home from Hilo and experienced stop-and-go traffic all the way to Shipman Business Park.
There at the traffic light were demonstrators with a myriad of signs. The signs were slowing everyone down to read them, causing congestion and a risk of accidents.
I believe in free speech, but this seems unsafe to me.
James D. Buck
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park