Letters: Ramp closures can pose dangers - El Paso Times

by El Paso Times Staff

Ramp closures can pose dangers

Highway crews should be forbidden to close two consecutive freeway on-ramps simultaneously unless an accident is being worked.

I was coming off Airway to enter I-10 West, but the freeway on-ramp was closed. Naturally, I was in the left lane.

No problem, I'd catch the next on-ramp just past Geronimo. But that ingress ramp was also closed.

Now, being trapped in the left lane with bumper-to-bumper traffic in all lanes, it was impossible to get out of the left-turn-only lane to cross Trowbridge for the next ingress ramp.

I had my right-turn signal on to try to alert traffic to my right that I planned to go straight anyway, since nobody was letting me in.

I made it through to the sound of several horns telling me what a jerk I was for doing this.

When two consecutive on-ramps are closed simultaneously, persons are entrapped in the left lane, traffic is long and thick, and it creates an extremely dangerous situation.

Highway crews should complete their work on one of the ramps, then open it and close the next contiguous ramp.

Duane Coleman
Upper Valley

Judge's plates

My 7-year-old asked me why the car in front of us was driving so slowly? I noticed the state judge license plate and told her that the driver is being careful, or maybe is getting on in years.

My daughter said that maybe they shouldn't be driving because they are going to cause an accident. I tried to be a positive role model and inform her that she shouldn't be so judgmental.

But as we passed by, she pointed out that the person driving is not getting on in years, but is texting while driving.

How can I explain what is right and wrong when even judges don't do the right thing?

David Walker
East El Paso

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