Construction on Freeway Affects Thousands

Drive times have gotten longer in large parts of the city as construction on the Clear Lake Freeway began on Monday. Workers are repairing rough surfaces and adding additional lanes over a five-mile section of the road. The freeway is completely closed in some areas, such as the Southland business district, while in others, only certain lanes are blocked off. Since the freeway connects the residential areas on the west side to Southland, thousands of commuters have had change their usual routes amid heavy traffic.

Public transport is affected by the road closures as well. Cross-city buses that carry hundreds of commuters to and from the area every day are being forced into lengthy detours. Neighborhood bus 14 to Southland University has temporarily ceased running. A spokesman from the Department ofTransportation said that the bus will resume service by April 15.

The construction is expected to be completed by April 28. In the meantime, drivers have no choice but to be patient. The DoT spokesman said that once the construction is finished, residents will be grateful for the additional lanes and the smoother drive on the Clear Lake Freeway.

REVISED BUS SCHEDULE (last modified 04/22)

	Route	Start/End Times	Frequency
Bus 14	Elgin Park ➔ Southland Univ.	08:00 - 23:00	Service suspended until further notice
Bus 23	Montrose ➔ Southland	08:00 - 24:00	Every 15 minutes
Bus 42	West Station ➔ Southland	07:00 - 22:00	Every 40 minutes
Bus 57	89th Ave W. ➔ Southland	07:30 - 20:00	Every 40 minutes

To the Editor:

I've been following your paper's coverage of the construction on 'Freeway 16. Like many people I know, I've been greatly inconvenienced and am disappointed in the local authorities for not getting the work done in a timely way. The bus I used to take to school every morning still isn't operating. The bus I have to take now only runs every 40 minutes and takes an hour to get there. This means I need to catch the 7 o'clock bus to get to campus in time for my 8: 15 class, when it should take only 20 minutes! I understand that roads must be repaired, and this wouldn't be so terrible if I knew when the problem would be solved. But the construction is already well behind schedule, with no end in sight. We have to hold public officials accountable for their broken promises.

Sincerely,

Daniel Rondon
April 27