The Road Home

Of course, yesterday was the day I had the family truck at Furnace Village Garage on Bay Road. I dropped it off around 8 and had a nice uneventful two mile walk home. Around noon I had to go from Sheep Pasture to the headquarters of the North Easton Savings Bank. By the way, now that the headquarters is in South Easton any hope of a name change? Knowing I'd get snarled in traffic going down Depot Street, I decided to continue my exploration of the outlands. Did you know that Chestnut Street turns into Stearns Avenue in Mansfield? Eventually, I decided to sneak from the bank down Highland Street only to find a police officer on the corner of Highland and Bay directing traffic that had been redirected onto Highland from South Street. No problem. I made it to the garage-traded the car for the truck and made arrangements to come back at 4 to pay for the service.

Coming back, that was the mistake. As a veteran of the high school expansion I can tell you that despite Dig Safe, if there is a gas pipe at a construction project, someone will break it with a backhoe. It happened yesterday around 2 at Five Corners. This time I had decided on a southern approach to the garage because I was coming from home. I should have known something was up when Officer Kwan was directing traffic at the intersection of Foundry and Prospect. As I passed down Prospect, the line of traffic coming from Bay Road stretched three quarters of the way down the street. At the corner of Bay and Prospect there was another officer fighting traffic-no chance for me to make a right turn. Down Bay into Norton and then a cross street to 123 at Gold's Gym. Back to Highland and another police officer at the corner. There I learned of the gas leak, but did get a chance to get to the garage.

With business taken care of, I decided to go out for dinner.  Given the traffic situation, the Chateau in Norton was the only choice. Great, after a leisurely dinner it was back down Bay Road to Prospect which was now backed up all the way to Bay. So it was turn in a driveway, back to Norton, over to Gold's Gym, down to the lights at Hannafords and a right turn onto 106 to get to South Street. Big mistake-another line of traffic. Turn around, down 106-did you know Stearns Avenue turns into Chestnut Street. Stop at the field on Chestnut to check out the clean fill then on to North Easton (I figured Center Street probably ended with a line of traffic at the monument) and home down Route 138.

I figure I'll have to drive through the NEW! IMPROVED!! Five Corners until I'm 90 to save the time I lost yesterday. Two other points-the police officers involved in traffic work yesterday did an excellent, very professional job under very difficult circumstances. Second, having Officer Kwan at the dangerous intersection at Prospect and Foundry made we wish that the traffic light there was the project that was being done this summer. That project will save lives. Not sure what the Five Corners project will do except eliminate a corner and give Dig Safe a better idea where our gas pipes are.