Anyone driving through Holyoke recently must have seen the abundance of never ending construction. Most notably, the construction on Homestead and Lower Westfield Rd. and the construction on the bridges of I-91 in Holyoke. Granted the work on these locations is needed, but the work being done is very questionable in regards to both the pace and the work ethic.

The work being done on Homestead Ave has been greatly needed and seems to be coming to a close. Although it’s nearly completed, the job has taken an excess of six months which seems pretty long for the work they have done so far. They have widened the road in every direction, added two concrete islands, new traffic lights, added a side walk, and repaved the intersection. As an nlooker, I feel they have made a few confusing choices. They made a right turn only lane coming from the highway, but then abruptly ripped up some of the newly paved pavement to put in a side walk. They didn’t only close the new right turn only for a few days – they closed it for more than two weeks!

The timing of the construction also couldn’t be much worse, as they work during rush hour and slow down the already slow moving traffic. The workers also seem to finish work well before the normal person’s workday is over – sometimes by noon they seem to have vanished! Melanie Kos, a Junior at HHS, whose daily commute is interrupted by this construction, told The Herald, “I think there is very poor scheduling involved, breaks should be taken during rush hours, and work should occur from 8:30-4.” Simple schedule changes and harder work would ease the frustration of drivers and finish the job quicker.

The other major construction going on in Holyoke is the work being done on the I91 bridges. Again this work is needed but it is a nuisance to drive through the construction zones on the highway sometimes causing traffic to back up, and cause delays. The work done on the bridges is done mainly at night since it is on the highway so the workers don’t interfere with traffic like other worksites as much. But the work on the bridges seems to be endless too because work has been going on since last fall with no notable changes to the bridges!

Again this construction is very much needed, but its timing and the work ethic of those working on them needs to be slightly adjusted for better results. The outcome of the construction is bound to be for the better. Although the construction may be long and annoying for some, the outcome will greatly benefit all on the road.

By no means am I an expert or know everything going on with these two jobs I am just merely giving the opinion of an annoyed onlooker. The Herald made every attempt to reach out to the head of the DPW for more information, but received no response. All we can do is wait for the work to be done and then enjoy the new roads.