As a 9-year commuter from Moscow to Lewiston and back, five days a week (due
to my wacky schedule, I can't take advantage of the PCEI van or most
carpools) I have become all too intimate with the 31 miles between the two
communities and the toll those 31 miles have taken. My general observation
is that this stretch of highway is very dangerous and not very well
engineered.
First of all I found it absolutely astounding the way in which speed limits
were raised in the last year or so. Remember the rationale? Essentially
those making the decision told us that they were allowing speeds on an
already deadly highway to be raised because "motorists were already driving
faster than the posted speed limit and the higher limits would reflect that
reality". Wasn't anyone else floored by this (il)logic? Can you imagine if
all laws were amended because a large number of citizens were violating
those laws?
Not that I'm opposed to changing some of the archaic laws that interfere
with one's right to make personal decisions...and there are plenty of those
still on the books. But speeding down a two-lane highway can have a profound
impact on OTHER'S lives.
So, that's complaint number one.
Next, I've always thought that passing zones and lanes on 95 are not
conducive to safe travel. (i.e. the passing lane that goes uphill, around a
curve just a few miles south of Moscow headed south. The traffic coming
down that hill is also allowed to pass until about halfway down the hill. I
had a double-trailer semi pass me going down that hill at night in the rain
one evening! A fatal accident waiting to happen, and it has.)
In addtion there are no "Passing Zone/No Passing Zone" signs on this 31
miles of highway.
My latest concern is with the recent passing lane project between Lewiston
and Genesee. The project was started in early fall, the passing lanes
constructed and then the final paving left unfinished, leaving dangerous
edges between the new lanes and the old, enough of an edge to pull a car
into the adjacent lane, especially on slick roads. I was told by the
highway department that they couldn't finish the job until spring because
they had an October 15th cutoff date for paving.
What kind of planning is this?!
And...the new passing lane headed south just outside of Genesee, instead of
being constructed on the long, straight stretch of road just past the
Genesee junction, begins fairly close to a sharp curve in the road and then
continues through that curve!
Folks, this just seems plain stupid. And a wasted of our money!
So we've raised the speed limits and put in another dangerous passsing lane
that hasn't had the finished paving done. What's next?
Greg Meyer