A clipping from the
South Jackson Gazette ...
Citizens Complain About Lousy Local Roads! Figure 26
Citizens living near South Jackson have long been unhappy with the state of the local highway system. Said Mac White, a local truck driver, “Hillmovers Construction Co. spent bunches of time making mountains and hills up around Oakhill, and some nice roads up there too. Then they made some nice roads over by Mill Bend and Baynes Valley. Tell the truth we’re getting kinda tired driving around on plywood. I heard just the other day that Abe Euhnett fellow got another flat from running over a sharp splinter. When they gonna get us some real highways, here?”
Figure 27
I brush-painted the road with Polly Scale Concrete using a 1/2” flat brush and being careful to keep ‘concrete off the dirt’. Then I added a bunch of other scenery elements - old ties, rocks, static grass, bits of Silflor, some Fine Leaf Foliage, a few Scenic Express Super Trees, and a couple of larger conifer trees. Then I remembered what I should’ve done before... I keep getting in a too much of a hurry - road stripes and expansion joints!
When contacted at his office the President of Hillmovers Construction claimed they were already working on this problem and that a new highway had just been finished and was now available for Sunday drives.
Figure 26: I used some blue painters tape to mask the road. Then I brush painted the stripes with Polly Scale Reefer Yellow.
It wasn’t clear whether the new roads will actually go anywhere. An ugly rumor has been circulating at the South Jackson Tavern that you gotta to ‘be on your toes’ when out driving because some roads seem to either lead straight into a cliff face or over the edge of the world!
Figure 27: I used a fine-point black felt tip marker to add tar to the road’s expansion joints and cracks. I also added a small area where the concrete had broken enough that it was repaired with an asphalt patch.
Furthermore, a scandal regarding the brand new highway is brewing. Investigators are claiming that Hillmovers Construction has been
Page 132 • Issue 7 • May/Jun 2010 • Up the Creek column, page 7
A new highway?
building roads with used materials, yet they’ve been charging the local county for all new material! Indeed it does appear that the new highway between South Jackson and Mill Bend has been around for a while what with all the cracks and patches on it! Company officials have responded that certain locals (including some RR officials) demanded that the highway should appear to be old so it would fit in better with the ‘natural environment’! “Heck, we should charge ‘em extra”, the Hillmovers spokesperson responded! This reporter certainly hopes that Hillmovers will quickly find a resolution to these issues before more roads are built! * If you like the South Jackson Gazette, you can read more at bcsjrr.com.
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