September
24, 2018
By Saeed
Qureshi
There is a vast
network of the highways and smaller roads in DFW for traveling. One can see the
Texas State Highway 121 and George Bush Turnpike built in the near past keeping
inter cities traveling fast, easy and convenient. These additional facilities
are great boon to streamline and ensure the easy flow of the commuters.
However, the
standard of repairs of the roads in the DFW Metropolis is patently quite rough
and risky. We have experienced that occasionally while exiting or entering, the
vehicles go astray and fall from one surface to another because of variation in
level of surface between them. Thus, a kind of upward or downward jerk is
experienced which are certainly unpleasant and irritating and can cause
accidents.
It appears
that not much of attention is given to the selection of the right and
professionally competent and experienced parties and firms to build or repair the
mauled highways and normal roads. I wonder that in the United States where
merit, competence and expertise is the touchstone in services, such a gross
negligence is being shown in providing good and well-maintained roads.
As such, the
cost of repair goes higher because of the persistent daily erosion of the
surface of the tires by the ditches, holes and pointed corners of the eroded
places. As daily traveling on roads with rough and eroded surface not only
causes earlier wear and tear of the wheels but also causes mental shocks to the
drivers due to slow driving and persistent jumping and jerks. A few years back
such surface erosion and potholes were witnessed on the small street roads, but
now these can be seen on the highways, freeways, and intercity roads.
During the
rains, the situation gets worse and more problematic. The rain water deposited
in the cleavages and holes gets splashed and falls on the vehicles’ bodies and
frames. The roads that are resurfaced, a new layer is placed on these or a ditch is filled remain uneven and
therefore, cause jerks and jumping of the vehicles up and down and sideways. If
the respective City and County administrations and the departments take a
survey of the highways and city roads, they would find countless such faults
and uneven sections.
Some time
back I wrote another article after the completion of the Georg Bush Turnpike. I
had noticed that some sections and portions of that magnificent Turnpike didn’t
have smooth tracts at many places. Countless other commuters must have noticed
and suffered the jerks on the uneven sections by traveling on that highway
regularly or occasionally. Mercifully some of the sections were later
resurfaced and their level brought even with the even portions.
The counties
and the city administrations should survey and ensure that the filling or leveling
work was perfect and in accordance with the book and laid down regulations. Besides,
the edges and linings of the roads need to be straightened and smoothened. At
countless places the big and small roads need to have straight and leveled
sidelines. Rather such inspections and surveys should be done periodically to
ensure smoothness and proper level of the roads and to be without holes or
cavities. These groups should also identify and report defects of unevenness,
jagged surfaces and potholes.
The City, and
the County administrations and the municipalities charge various kinds of taxes
and fees for a variety of services such as the civic and municipal comforts and
good roads. The taxes and duties can be increased if the level of facilities
like providing hassle-free roads for smooth traveling are improved.
In this
regard dire and immediate attention should be given to the jumbled-up and
narrow roads in the so-called Down Towns where traveling and driving is nothing
short of a nightmare at day time. The citizens have to come to these Down Towns
for a variety of pressing chores, particularly those who have to attend the
court hearing and other offices for a variety of chores and unavoidable
tasks. The downtown of Dallas Texas and
that of Fort Worth are awful examples of the difficulties that the commuters have
to face every day.
The writer is a senior journalist, former editor of Diplomatic Times
and a former diplomat.
No comments:
Post a Comment