A few weeks ago, when we wrote for the umpteenth time that the state had found the money to finally fix the 'Killer Conchester,' I kind of knew what to expect.
I wasn't wrong.
I was inundated with phone calls and emails, all with the same basic gripe: "I'll believe it when I see it."
It's a perfectly understandable reaction, given the number of times this horrific stretch of highway that connects I-95 in Chester with Baltimore Pike in Concord has been talked about being outdated and in dire need of repair to handle the amount of traffic - in particular trucks - that now rumble along it every day.
That is to say nothing of the horrific toll this deadly stretch of highway continues to take.
But this time I believe it's going to happen.
And I can tell you why.
First, this money is coming from that controversial $2.7 billion dollar transportation plan that the Legislature approved last year. This time I think it's actually going to get done.
But for those who insist they'll believe it when they see it, I suggest they take a slight road trip a few miles away.
They might want to visit Route 252 as it rolls past that county gem, Rose Tree Park.
Just don't do it during the morning rush hour.
This stretch of road, along with the traffic light at Rose Tree Road and the intersection with the Route 1 Bypass, also had been complained about for years.
There was forever talk about fixing it. They even moved the historic Rose Tree Tavern off the corner at Rose Tree Road back into the park to accommodate work.
And now it is actually getting done.
I go by there every morning, thankfully long before rush hour (it's one of the perks of the job!)
You can clearly see what was an old, country two-lane road being rebuilt into a modern, four-lane (two in each direction) thoroughfare.
It's one of the busiest intersections in the county.
Make sure you pick up a copy of the Sunday Times for a special report on this crucial piece of road work, and the answer to many a driver's lament.
The down side? Yes, you guessed it. Right now getting through there is a nightmare. I actually heard something last week I don't think I've ever heard before. A morning traffic report actually was recommending drivers use the Blue Route to avoid the area of Route 252 at Rose Tree Park.
Call it the price of progress.
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