Remeber the guys in the Orange Trucks

Here in the heartland, we are digging out from a lot of snow. We got hit hard with up to 20 inches in some areas. Many of us have our own responsibilities to clean up the mess. If you are a home owner you have to clear your driveway and walkways. If you are a business owner, you may have walkways and a parking area to clear.
But the neighborhood streets and state highways are left to government agencies to clear. We expect this to happen. We expect police, firemen, National Guardsmen to take care of us in this time of need. We don’t care how it happens or how it gets paid for, we just want it done.

There is not a government agency that is not in a budget crisis right now, but the citizenry simply expects the roads to be cleared, oh and get it done quickly too. Last night I-55 was closed from mile marker 10 (near St. Louis) to mile marker 126 (halfway between Springfield and Bloomington). This is a major arterial road. It is open now.



IDOT (Orange) Trucks working thier magic


The road was open by the folks in the Orange IDOT trucks. They worked through the night in terrible conditions to get the road open for us. Good job IDOT snow plow drivers.

Now fast forward to late May when the Illinois General Assembly is winding down. There will no doubt be a budget problem, and it will be the employees of or like IDOT crews that clean the roads, who are going to be at the business end of the budget ax. So remember this moment now, because it will be easy to be all over them and want to throw the rascals out when it is not so readily apparent of their need.