Road work is much needed

No doubt about it, the construction project on Indiana 26 from Indiana 67 to Indiana 1 is going to be a real pain in the neck for the next six months.
And we couldn’t be happier about it.
That stretch of highway has been a dangerous embarrassment for more than 30 years.
The narrow roadbed and the minimal shoulders made travel on that stretch routinely terrifying, especially when encountering an oncoming semi.
Neglect of that portion of highway has never really made any sense.
Travel Indiana 26 west from Indiana 1 and you’ll encounter a wider, safer, better maintained route.
It only seemed to be the core of the Jay County section that got shortchanged.
Now, the state has finally stepped up to the plate. The Indiana Department of Transportation has awarded a contract to Milestone Contractors to repave, widen, and eliminate some antiquated 90-degree turns.
But it’s going to take time.
Detour signs went up this week, and the highway is now closed to through traffic.
Local traffic will still be possible, though complicated, during the construction, which is set to begin at Indiana 1 and move east toward the Indiana 26-67 intersection at the curve west of Portland.
No doubt, that’s going to be a hassle now and then.
But that’s the price of progress, and this particular bit of progress has been a long, long time coming. — J.R.