We all have experienced the inconveniences and annoyances of road construction on Hughes Rd. You have to leave earlier for school, you can’t turn left on Eastview, and gosh, are those orange cones annoying! But have hope Patriots because one day we’ll enjoy driving down a wider, freshly paved Hughes Rd.

When Bob Jones students were asked about their thoughts on the construction, they were first asked when they thought the construction would end. Humorously, 57.1% of participants thought the construction would never end. In addition, students were asked how they felt about the construction and 85.7% said that the construction was irritating but agreed that the roads genuinely needed it. After all, Madison City is growing at an astonishing rate and adequate roads and lanes are vital to compensate for the sake of sanity and for the city itself. 

You might be wondering, why don’t they just do construction at night? The morning traffic hassle is unbearable! Although this seems like an easy fix, as past Madison City Council President Tim Holcombe stated on the What’s Happening in Madison Facebook page, “Doing road construction at night increases the cost of a given project by 40% or more.” That’s a huge difference in price to pay for fewer minutes waiting for the bulldozer to move. 

While paving Hughes Rd is one issue, future projects for it will be progressively more difficult. As in 2019, it was decided by the city council that in years to come, Hughes Rd would be expanded to five lanes. WHNT reported that it is to keep up with “growth” and “the high school congestion, right where Bob Jones is at,” according to Madison Communication Specialist Samantha Magnuson. 

Many of you with this news will let out a groan out of annoyance or a snicker because you’ll be graduated by then, but in reality, a hooray is sorta in order. Even though the process will be long and painful, the ending result will make not only make entering and leaving Bob Jones faster and more efficient but also make this side of the city feel newer and more polished.