Slow down. Be patient. Stay safe

 
Construction on U.S. Highway 75 in Luverne is about halfway through the project timeline and we are starting to see some of its effects, both good and bad.
First the good effects.
Slowly, the large machines that have been digging and trenching in the middle and the sides of the roadway are disappearing.
There are no more gaping holes in the ground detouring traffic from both directions.
Slowly we are starting to see what U.S. Highway 75 will look like once all the rest of the machines are done and all the barricades are gone.
It’s going to look nice.
Sidewalks on both the east and west sides of the highway will provide a nice walking and strolling surface.
The new surface will be safer, too, free of bumps and with ramps at each of the intersections to make it easier to maneuver up and down each of the curbs.
With the good, however, comes the bad.
Unfortunately, there will be more traffic interruptions as workers continue to beautify our roadway.
More barricades will seemingly appear and disappear during a given day and sometimes within hours.
Our patience is wearing thin but there is no need for the careless vehicle operation we have been seeing as the road construction enters its second month.
There is no need to pull out in front of traffic when we’re tired of waiting at an intersection.
For the safety of everyone, we need to slow down and show more patience.
There have been numerous reports of near-miss collisions because people have sat at a stop sign a second longer than they deemed necessary. These drivers dash through traffic to the other side of the roadway or pull carelessly into traffic.
We as reporters of community news would rather not cover accidents during the road construction season.
Slow down. Be patient. Stay safe.
Construction season will be over soon.