Answer Man: I-40 stretch missing reflectors? Postal service tracking reliability?

John Boyle, Asheville Citizen Times
·4 min read
An I-40 paving project from Porters Cove Road (Exit 55) to Hendersonville Road (Exit 50) is working in phases. Reflectors will be installed in the last phase.
An I-40 paving project from Porters Cove Road (Exit 55) to Hendersonville Road (Exit 50) is working in phases. Reflectors will be installed in the last phase.

Today’s batch of burning questions, my smart-aleck answers and the real deal:

Question: I’m concerned about there being no reflectors from the bridge at exit 55 on I-40 west and east. I travel this road daily from Marion, and I can barely see the road, especially if it’s raining. It’s very dangerous through this area at night and at 4 in the morning. Can the NCDOT add reflectors to this area of the interstate? It’s widely traveled, and I see no reason why reflectors can’t be added. There is always someone working on this road that early in the morning that they have one lane shut down for some reason, but it surely isn’t installing reflectors for safe driving. Please consider my request, and wish me luck as I drive with no reflectors or painted lines through this area.

My answer: This one struck home with me, as I discovered one of the joys of aging over the winter. Apparently, you become totally bewildered by driving at night in the rain. Seriously, how was I able to actually see the road when I was younger?

Real answer: The reflectors will come, but first things first.

"The contractor on the I-40 improvement project from Porters Cove Road (Exit 55) to Hendersonville Road (Exit 50) is working in phases," Jody Lawrence, resident engineer with the North Carolina Department of Transportation's Asheville office, said via email.

More reader questions answered:

The Rogers Group has a $22.2 million contract for the project, which is scheduled for completion in March 2023. The first phase included the initial layers of asphalt.

"Now, the shoulders and guardrail is nearly complete," Lawrence said. "The final layer of asphalt is scheduled to be placed in June. That’s followed by installation of the final pavement markings, which will include reflective snow-plowable pavement markers."

So, help is coming. In the meantime, be careful out there!

Question: How reliable is the U.S. Postal Service tracking system? I mailed a box of goodies (cookies, brownies, cashews, Goldfish crackers, and breakfast biscuits) to our grandson at UNC-Charlotte on Monday, April 4, from the Oteen Post Office. I was told by the postal clerk that it would arrive on April 7, a Thursday, and I received a tracking number on my receipt. Well, my grandson, via a text, said he received the package on Wednesday, April 6, and that he and his suitemates at school have already consumed most of the cookies and other goodies. When I entered my tracking number on the USPS website, the response was that the package was at a postal facility on Scott Futrell Drive in Charlotte (somehow it appears that it escaped Greenville, South Carolina), then at a postal facility nearer the university. But this is April 8, and the tracker information currently says, "Your package will arrive later than expected, but it is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility." WHAT? It has already arrived, and the contents have been devoured. I wonder what the end message will be on this "tracker?" Talk to Louis DeJoy?

My answer: Clearly, your package has cracked the code on time travel. This is a major discovery for mankind, and it's all related to cookies and Goldfish crackers (two of my diet staples, by the way). I knew this day would come. By the way, you're actually reading this column tomorrow...

Real answer: Spokesman Philip Bogenberger said first the Postal Service "uses sophisticated tracking software to ensure timely delivery of mail and packages and as a customer convenience."

Read more:

"Despite being highly accurate, this sounds like a rare occasion where the tracking did not update as quickly as expected," Bogenberger continued. "We’re glad to hear the package arrived even earlier than anticipated. The Postal Service is committed to delivering each piece of mail on time."

The USPS does keep tabs on all this data.

"Our most recent performance metrics show First-Class Mail having a 94% on-time delivery performance, and the average time for delivery of a mailpiece across the postal network was 2.4 days," Bogenberger said.

This is the opinion of John Boyle. To submit a question, contact him at 232-5847 or jboyle@citizen-times.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Answer Man: I-40 stretch missing reflectors? Postal service tracking?