Highway ruts will be back

The memories of an occasional delay, detour and annoyance associated with the resurfacing and repaving of I-90 and other streets this summer quickly disappeared as I smoothly cruised eastbound on I-90 last week. As I passed that sign that noted the project cost $8.1 million I thought to myself, “our tax money well spent.”

Then it suddenly struck me. In a couple of months, thousands of my neighbors will religiously bolt on their studded tires as soon as it’s legal. Then they will spend the next six months or so driving on mostly dry, sometimes wet surfaces ripping the new pavement to shreds and bringing back the ruts and other reminders of what studded tires do to our asphalt and concrete roadways.

Then, in a few years, we can spend another $8.1 million (or whatever it is at that time) to do it all over again. Let’s hope that some of the stimulus money that hasn’t yet been found will still be around when we need to go through this Kabuki dance once again.

Keith LaMotte

Spokane