Progress depends on the perspective

We set out at 9 a.m. or so on Sunday morning, heading out to the islands, a familiar group jaunt to Burnside, Beaulieu, Isle of Hope and Dutch Island, that usually covers 35 miles or so. But, as we approached the on ramp to the still barricaded, still uncompleted, very last section of the Truman Parkway, somebody yelled out, “Let’s take a right,” and up we went. Once we crested the ramp, the view was spectacular. The Vernon River was glass smooth, and the marshes on both sides went back for miles. It was also impossible not to notice large, carefully sited houses whose occupants had enjoyed quiet, verdant views for years, and who now find themselves fronting a traffic, rather than a tidal, flow. As for the project itself, that statement in the Savannah Morning News – It’s not finished yet – was real accurate. We passed several trucks full of workers, there was construction on both sides of the parkway, and there were some sections that needed paving and or painting. Still, I’m no highway engineer, and it certainly may be ready for the next scheduled opening ceremony. As for the folks in those houses, I’m guessing they’re in no hurry.