Having completed the two-plus-year road project at 16th Street and 4th Avenue, Yuma must have been at a loss for a way to mess up traffic and harm businesses.
"I know," proposed someone in authority with questionable connections to a road construction company. "We could repave 32nd Street! Shut down a bunch of lanes, close off left turns... It would be great!"
For those who aren't familiar with Yuma, 32nd Street is one of the main business thoroughfares. Lowe's, strip malls, office buildings, restaurants, gas stations, car dealerships, the airport, the Marine Corps Air Station, the fairgrounds, mobile home parks, RV sales and service places, churches, Walmart...
Luckily, I discovered the traffic jam while driving the direction that's still fully open (as of today, anyway). The poor folks going the other direction (west) were backed up as far as I could see. Miles? And this was on a leisurely Sunday. The rest of the week must be hellish.
Repaving takes far less time than widening and reconfiguring a major intersection, so maybe it will be done before peak snowbird season starts at the end of the month. Or not. I'll just avoid the area.
We were going to go through Yuma and then ended up going north (through Show Low). Is Yuma worth the drive?
ReplyDeleteIt depends on what you want. I hang in that general area in the winter because it's seldom cold and it has all the supplies and services I might need. There's plenty of free camping with good cell service. And it's a short hop to Mexico if you need cheap dental, optical and meds, or if you're running from the law.
Delete...and tacos.
ReplyDeleteAnd fresh-from-the-sea shrimp.
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