They’re having a blast on the Veterans Parkway project

Our friend Cyndy Cerbin, communications director for the National Infantry Museum Foundation, was driving into town on Veterans Parkway last week when she noticed a couple of signs on the side of the road.

“I found this interesting on my way into work this morning. Approaching the intersection of Veterans Parkway and Williams Road from the north, there is a construction sign that says, ‘Blasting Zone Ahead.’ A few feet farther is this sign that read, ‘Turn Off 2-Way Radio and Cell Phone.’

“What the heck? Does anybody (turn off their phones)? What happens if they don’t? And I wonder how many accidents there might be today as people are frantically turning off their phones while driving!”

This stretch of road is in the midst of a pretty darn extensive upgrade project, but I can’t recall anyone reporting any explosions there. In fact, a friend who lives very near that intersection told me she hasn’t heard any.

So I called our friend Sam Wellborn, state DOT board member for 20-plus years and he put me in tough with J.D. Abercrombie, the new area engineer and works closely on the project.

Abercrombie explained that Liberty Utilities is installing a new 8-inch gas line along the south side of Veterans and is running into some rock structures it can’t bore through. He said he thinks they blasted one day last week and will likely blast one day this week.

Abercrombie said the company halts traffic for the short time it takes to blow up dynamite.

“They take as much precaution as they can to try to cover up the blasting, to where it doesn’t blast dirt and debris all out in the road,” Abercrombie said. “They cover it up with dirt and when they blow the dynamite, it just sort of fluffs up the ground a little bit. Then they’ll release the traffic.”

As the above sign indicates, is a cell phone really a threat to set off the explosion at the wrong time?

“Mr. Owen, I don’t know much about dynamite, but they say it is,” Abercrombie said.

If they say it is and they work with explosives, then I’d listen to them. And besides, you shouldn’t be on your dang phone in your car anyway.

So, other than things blowing up occasionally, how is the widening project of Veterans going?

“Smoothly,” Abercrombie said. “The contractor’s got some asphalt down on what will be the new southbound lanes. They’re doing some grading work on the northbound side. And the utility companies are moving their utilities out of the way. So we’re moving ahead as effectively as we can.”

The project is scheduled to be completed in about a year, at the end of June 2017, Abercrombie said.

This story was originally published June 19, 2016 at 10:00 PM with the headline "They’re having a blast on the Veterans Parkway project."