Road works

This morning, we walked out of our front door to discover a digger. We had been aware of the fact that there would be some repaving done, but were pleasantly surprised that they had actually started on schedule!

The road into town is paved with stone rather than asphalt. This has a lot of advantages (including being relatively noisy...making the driver think he/she is going more quickly than is actually the case), but also some disadvantages (longevity). As a result, there are a number of pavers that have been removed (and the hole filled with asphalt) and others that are cracked and unstable. Oh, and by the way: having buses run over the curbstones does not do the curbs or the sidewalks any favors.

I thought the process was interesting enough to document: to begin with, the normally two-way road (the only one in town) is now a one-way (into town...the only road leading directly into the center, mind you!), meaning that buses can no longer come into town. There were letters sent home with students telling the parents that the kids were going to have to suck it up and walk into town from the base (Consolazione, and no, it's not a bad walk at all) and strongly recommending that said parents not add to the traffic by deciding to drive their kids. There have been notices warning residents about the changes in traffic patterns, and so on.

Fast forward to today: the work consists of loosening the individual pavers and curbstones with a jackhammer, smoothing out the gravel/sand base, and shoving a new paver into place. A little cement for fun, and there you have it!

Earlier today, just outside our door

The two-way section converted to one-way

Covers the whole entry to town!

Itty bitty shovels! Cute, aren't they?

The workers thought I was out of my gourd to be taking photos

Just outside the door!

The work is projected to take a month, of which I'll be gone for about two weeks. Probably perfect, since by the end, we will all be heartily sick of it. The girls (who have a window overlooking the street) are already heartily sick of the noise.

Love,

Alexandra