Last Friday I had a meeting in Gassaway. I have always been one who didn’t like to be late. With that in mind, I left my office at 9:27 a.m. I was sure that would allow me more than ample time for the short five-mile trek… boy was I wrong.
I hardly got outside the Sutton city limits until I was greeted by a young lady flagging traffic. I couldn’t see what was going on, but we sat in traffic for an exorbitant amount of time. When we finally were let go, I saw that they were replacing the guard railing along the river above the bridge leading to the Senior Center.
With a sigh of relief, I proceeded down Route 4 only to be stopped near the old Foodland/Kenton Meadows bridge for a crew cutting trees on the hill side and another long delay.
By the time I arrived at my meeting it had taken me 33 minutes to go from Sutton to Gassaway. Now I’m all for progress and undoubtedly both the guard rail and the overhanging trees needed to be attended to, but what about the motoring public? Their needs are being totally ignored. There should be a coordinated effort by the Department of Highways or someone to reduce such lengthy delays.
I also took notice of the condition of the road surface between Gassaway and Sutton. Of course, I had plenty of time to examine at least two sections of the road while I was stopped in traffic. As I traveled the remainder, I realized what a deplorable state the black top is in.
There are potholes. We always experience them this time of year. The problem lies with the destruction of the asphalt, at what seems like every 100 feet or so, by other construction and or improvements… culvert work, utility repair and other elements have demolished the road in my opinion. The road is rougher than many gravel roads I have traveled. As I was bouncing up and down in my truck, I wondered why the road wasn’t part of the massive road repairs that Governor Justice keeps talking about? After all Route 4, particularly between Gassaway and Sutton, is a major through-a-fair in Braxton County. Hopefully, it is on the list to be repaved. I will try to research that this week. But to date, with the numerous delays of late and the terrible condition of the road, I can say the “Roads to Prosperity” haven’t made it to Braxton County… yet at least.
