It'll be nice when done

"This will be nice when it's finished," a dear person used to say whenever she encountered highway construction or a detour.

The phrase was sort of mantra, as she reminded herself to be patient during a period of inconvenience.

Over the next few months, we'll all need an equivalent to help keep our cool as a bundle of state highway construction projects take place simultaneously.

An incomplete list would include major work on Ind. 26 in the western part of the county, all sorts of work in and around Dunkirk on Ind. 167, work on Ind. 1 in Redkey, completion of the South Wayne Street/Boundary Pike project in Portland, and projected work on East Water Street in Portland from Meridian to the Salamonie River.

Chances are, with the combination of Major Moves and federal stimulus money, the real list will be longer before cold weather sets in this fall.

That translates into two things: The need to be patient and the need to be hospitable.

If locals are irritated by detours, imagine how confused visitors are going to be. And it won't be too long before the area moves into that part of the year when visitors start arriving for fairs, festivals, and events like the engine and tractor show.

Keep in mind "it will be nice when it's finished," and be prepared to help out travelers in need of assistance. - J.R.

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