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  Stuck On I-78

     “Here I am again,” was the thought in my mind last Friday night. “Stuck on I-78.” This was especially frustrating because I was less than ten miles from home. “If only GPS had warned me, I could have gotten off earlier, and taken old route 22,” my thoughts continued.
 

     I think if I added up all the time I spent stuck in traffic on I-78, between Fogelsville and Hamburg, it might total a few days. Well, at least one. For reasons unclear to me, accidents on that stretch of highway seem common, and they often result in long delays. My work causes me to use this road a lot. 

     Even on days that I travel smoothly, I often observe a back-up in the lanes coming towards me. This is all true despite the road being very straight. Perhaps it is the sheer volume of traffic along this section that is responsible. Local farmers tell me they avoid using it because they never know when a ten minute errand will turn into several hours parked on I-78.

     The record for me was four hours, with two other incidents not far behind. The four-hour delay was sobering, because I was very close to the accident, which resulted in a car fire. I could see the flames and smoke and suspected a fatality had occurred. This was verified on the news later. I reminded myself that I was blessed to be only delayed by the accident, and not involved in it. A friend of mine told me that whenever she is in similar situations, she prays for the people involved, rather than focusing on her delay. I think this is a good sentiment.  

     I recall another time in a snow storm. I had been proceeding steadily and carefully when I saw tail lights coming on in front of me. That is always a bad sign. Within a few minutes everything stopped. Part of the ensuing frustration is not knowing what has happened, or how long the delay will be. After about an hour, I noticed a state police car coming slowly up the shoulder, calling out to drivers along the way. When he got close enough, I heard him saying “If you wish to turn around and go back to the last exit, you can do that, because it is going to taken several hours to clear the accident up ahead.”  

     Looking back past his car revealed this action occurring, and I began maneuvering to do the same. Much to my chagrin, as soon as I got turned around, I saw a tractor trailer sitting across the full highway, with the cab stuck in the snow at the edge of the road. The state trooper returned to the scene, and began yelling at the driver. “Now these cars are completely stuck here! What in the world made you think you could get that rig turned out in these conditions?”  The trooper was so vexed he through his hat on the ground in frustration. The truck driver began moving snow with a makeshift shovel, and after about ten minutes succeeded on freeing his tractor, and then completed his turn around. Now we could all proceed toward the previous exit. Of course, with all these cars trying exit and then travel on a rural country road, progress was still very slow.

     Ironically, my delay last Friday was not the result of an accident, but due to construction activity to widen the road, and thus improve conditions for the future. I hope the long-term gain is worth the short-term pain. Regardless, I eventually arrived home safe and sound, still reminding myself that in the overall scheme of life, one more delay on I-78 is not terribly significant.