First, Iand#8217;m an avid cyclist myself, on smooth and not smooth surfaces. That said, I have no reason to and#8220;rejoiceand#8221; about having to plan, and get, 20-minute delays on the 15-minute stretch of road between Tahoe City and Truckee for the third year out of the last four. It has been tough economic times for everyone most of these last four years, especially for local businesses, many which are barely hanging on. In a bizarre twist of exactly what economic stimulus is and isnand#8217;t, it seems that a significant obstruction, indefinitely, of the flow of commerce and#8212; goods, services, human beings and#8212; is supposed to be stimulus.

I donand#8217;t wish to argue against the necessity for maintaining our infrastructure. However, it was my understanding that our infrastructure, in this case, highways, were supposed to be a means to an end, not the end in itself, as we see our area transformed into one big orange-coned, back-up-beepered, commerce-obstructing playground for contractors and#8212; the rest of the local economy and quality of living be damned.

No one reading this does not rely heavily on the flow of commerce Iand#8217;m talking about here. We already have a formerly four-hour stretch of I-80 between the Bay and Reno which now one has to consistently plan, non-rush hour, on-season or off, to take six hours to be safe. Or the 25-minute stretch between Tahoe City and Incline Village, which one must now plan taking almost 45 minutes, to be safe.

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These are a few of the local obstructions. Closing rest areas more than two years … to rebuild the toilets? Thatand#8217;s not investment. Thatand#8217;s milking it.

Nothing against those that use 120-pound psi racing tires to cycle these roads, but right now, there are bigger fish to fry.

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Mark Adams

Tahoe City