Take it slow, and take it easy on Peace St. as new bridge goes up

The state Department of Transportation will begin soon to replace the Capital Boulevard bridge over Peace Street, and in the process, Peace will be squeezed from four lanes to two.

Beware and be careful, DOT says.

The department has to build the piers that will hold up the bridge. Bridges are funny that way.

This slowing may be painful for some, but it might also be healthy. Drivers go entirely too fast on that section of Peace Street, and on Capital Boulevard in general, even close to downtown. It would be nice if, as these lanes are closed until next summer, drivers got in the habit of slowing down and looking at their surroundings more closely.

As for Capital, there will be temporary closures of lanes on nights and weekends, a good common-sense decision on the part of DOT.

A merry cynic (yes, there is such thing) once observed some road construction in Raleigh and said with a smirk, “You know, this’ll be a nice town once they get it finished.”

But the truth is, the city and the DOT have kept up pretty well with the booming growth in the Capital City. This road project is just more about keeping up and keeping the city moving.

This story was originally published September 5, 2017 at 11:32 AM with the headline "Take it slow, and take it easy on Peace St. as new bridge goes up."