It's been a full summer of road construction in Monroe, and many drivers have changed their habits to get around our "big dig" on the west side.
Fourth Avenue West has become a busy road as people have discovered it is part of a route that can get you from the residential area south of the Square to the west side of the city while avoiding the road construction.
As drivers have stayed away from the roadwork, I've discovered something interesting ... Sometimes it's really easy to jump on the single-lane road under construction. You just follow the rules at the stop signs and you reach your destination quickly.
It has been often faster to drive on 8th Street than by taking some other "shortcut" to avoid construction. I've been able to access all of the westside businesses I frequent. Construction has not limited my ability to shop on the west side, which is important when getting groceries and many other items.
Road construction is common throughout Wisconsin during the warmer months. As drivers have noted since the beginning of the automobile age, there are two seasons in Wisconsin - winter and road construction.
I drove in Milwaukee two weekends ago. Not being familiar with Milwaukee, I depend on my mobile phone to help with directions. Many times in Milwaukee I was led to a proverbial "dead end" due to road construction. I eventually altered my route and was easily able to get to my destination.
Not that map programs on a smartphone are perfect. A couple of times I set a destination in my smartphone only to find that I was led to a residence rather than a business. I was able to find the business usually within a block or so, but the program on the smartphone was off by several hundred feet. Also, there were times when directions on the smartphone asked me to take what would end up to be a wrong turn. I simply drove past the wrong turn, the direction finder on the smartphone readjusted and then I was led to the right place.
Driving, road construction or not, is more difficult than it was 25 years ago. There's been some urban sprawl around larger communities such as Janesville and Madison, and that makes getting into those cities tricky.
Beloit, Janesville and Milton used to be distinctly separated communities when I was growing up. Now, thanks to the interstate and other, larger, connecting highways, those communities have grown together. It's much easier to go, from north to south, through Milton, Janesville and Beloit than it used to be.
The ability to move from one place to another more easily is good. Despite construction, or any other traveling setback, the importance of doing business locally remains key to our economy.
A state university study in Wisconsin in the 1990s showed that dollars spent in a locally owned business are generally turned over seven times in that community. This is especially true in agricultural communities such as our own. Money made by local farmers - and those of other local trades and jobs - is spent with local businesses. Those businesses also spend that money locally on wages and equipment. In the end, you have money that stays in this community a lot longer.
It's a good reason for always thinking "buy local" when doing all sorts of shopping, including the purchase of vehicles and major appliances. It's also important to plan to buy locally when shopping for special occasions such as the holidays, birthdays and the like. Those dollars are what helps many local businesses thrive. It's also why, although there is ongoing construction, people are best served by being patient, dealing with the traffic and still frequenting their local businesses.
I've only once, recently, had difficulty with my vehicle due to damage caused while driving in an area under construction - I consider that to be my own fault, and it didn't happen in Monroe.
I drove on a road under construction and ended up picking up a board with a nail in it in the sidewall of a tire. The board and tire were thrown off my tire quickly, but the tire went flat overnight. I had to change it the next morning and buy a new tire.
I consider the experience of changing my own tire to have been good practice at my roadside maintenance abilities, but it's not something I want to do every day, month or year.
While I won't be driving through a construction zone such as what led to my flat tire in the future, I'm not afraid to drive in Monroe's construction zone to do my shopping. The businesses are all open, I know what I'm going to get at these places and I like doing my shopping here.
- Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.
Fourth Avenue West has become a busy road as people have discovered it is part of a route that can get you from the residential area south of the Square to the west side of the city while avoiding the road construction.
As drivers have stayed away from the roadwork, I've discovered something interesting ... Sometimes it's really easy to jump on the single-lane road under construction. You just follow the rules at the stop signs and you reach your destination quickly.
It has been often faster to drive on 8th Street than by taking some other "shortcut" to avoid construction. I've been able to access all of the westside businesses I frequent. Construction has not limited my ability to shop on the west side, which is important when getting groceries and many other items.
Road construction is common throughout Wisconsin during the warmer months. As drivers have noted since the beginning of the automobile age, there are two seasons in Wisconsin - winter and road construction.
I drove in Milwaukee two weekends ago. Not being familiar with Milwaukee, I depend on my mobile phone to help with directions. Many times in Milwaukee I was led to a proverbial "dead end" due to road construction. I eventually altered my route and was easily able to get to my destination.
Not that map programs on a smartphone are perfect. A couple of times I set a destination in my smartphone only to find that I was led to a residence rather than a business. I was able to find the business usually within a block or so, but the program on the smartphone was off by several hundred feet. Also, there were times when directions on the smartphone asked me to take what would end up to be a wrong turn. I simply drove past the wrong turn, the direction finder on the smartphone readjusted and then I was led to the right place.
Driving, road construction or not, is more difficult than it was 25 years ago. There's been some urban sprawl around larger communities such as Janesville and Madison, and that makes getting into those cities tricky.
Beloit, Janesville and Milton used to be distinctly separated communities when I was growing up. Now, thanks to the interstate and other, larger, connecting highways, those communities have grown together. It's much easier to go, from north to south, through Milton, Janesville and Beloit than it used to be.
The ability to move from one place to another more easily is good. Despite construction, or any other traveling setback, the importance of doing business locally remains key to our economy.
A state university study in Wisconsin in the 1990s showed that dollars spent in a locally owned business are generally turned over seven times in that community. This is especially true in agricultural communities such as our own. Money made by local farmers - and those of other local trades and jobs - is spent with local businesses. Those businesses also spend that money locally on wages and equipment. In the end, you have money that stays in this community a lot longer.
It's a good reason for always thinking "buy local" when doing all sorts of shopping, including the purchase of vehicles and major appliances. It's also important to plan to buy locally when shopping for special occasions such as the holidays, birthdays and the like. Those dollars are what helps many local businesses thrive. It's also why, although there is ongoing construction, people are best served by being patient, dealing with the traffic and still frequenting their local businesses.
I've only once, recently, had difficulty with my vehicle due to damage caused while driving in an area under construction - I consider that to be my own fault, and it didn't happen in Monroe.
I drove on a road under construction and ended up picking up a board with a nail in it in the sidewall of a tire. The board and tire were thrown off my tire quickly, but the tire went flat overnight. I had to change it the next morning and buy a new tire.
I consider the experience of changing my own tire to have been good practice at my roadside maintenance abilities, but it's not something I want to do every day, month or year.
While I won't be driving through a construction zone such as what led to my flat tire in the future, I'm not afraid to drive in Monroe's construction zone to do my shopping. The businesses are all open, I know what I'm going to get at these places and I like doing my shopping here.
- Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.
