I love Franklin TN. I love the people. I love the beautiful country homes. I love the history.
Evidently a lot of people love Franklin, because the population has grown exponentially. The city planners realized this so they planned to do construction on all the roads leading to and from Franklin. Someone in those planning meetings then came up with an idea,
“Let’s do the all the construction at once! That way we can bring traffic to a complete standstill.”
And so, this spring, every key intersection in the beautiful city of Franklin TN was filled with construction equipment and workers wearing colorful costumes, waving flags and holding signs that said, STOP!
You could still get through Franklin if you started at a young age and had a trunk full of food and survival equipment, but it required huge supplies of another commodity that is often in short supply….. patience!
The construction is almost completed now and the new roads are smooth and functional, but there are still people suffering from PTHD (post traumatic honking disorder) There were 6 important lessons I learned while the city was on “lock-down.” I hope you will find them helpful.
- If you have to get to the airport, leave at least 2 days early.
- Understand that the word “detour” means “shortest route to the next road closure.”
- Patience is a virtue. If you don’t have it, the horn is not a viable option.
- Franklin is a beautiful city, if you survived the spring construction, you might live long enough to see it.
- Hand signals using a single finger should be avoided. They are contagious. Use the horn instead.
- Mack and Hatcher are two greek words that mean “You can’t get there from here.”
I apologize to the city of Franklin, and the person who decided to do all the construction at once, for all the bad things I thought about you during construction. I can now get to church without starting out Saturday night.
You done good!
Thank you!
Now lets talk about the construction on 431 north out of Franklin.
The cost of not turning around when you see a sign that says, “One Lane Traffic Ahead!”
I am 67.
I am at McDonald’s on Highway 96 and would love to get to Mack Hatcher.
Could you hurry?
Tell me your construction story?
Do you have any extra patience?
I know someone who could use some.
Comments
As one of your neighbors (I’m down in Spring Hill), I’ve just been avoiding Franklin for the past few months. Which means no 55South, and no Factory excursions and no trips to the Franklin theater. I, like you, am looking very much to everything getting back to normal — that is, until the next project they decide to begin working on.
I’ve been avoiding Franklin for months, but not on purpose. Thanks for helping me know I am not the only one.
Greetings Ken!
You’ve still got a delightful sense of humor.
I remember meeting you years ago in London, Ontario as part of a YFC visit to London Free Methodist. We purchased your Supersheep & SCORRE videotapes way back then.
I also used to play your Lighten Up & Live segments when I hosted Rise & Shine on GRACE-FM.
Since you’ve been there, I thought I’d share a poem I wrote about the construction in London.
“Only One Season”
Cats are said to have nine lives
That would be extraordinary
And it seemed that every month was March
When I served in the military.
But there’s only one season in London
If you live here, you’ll know what I mean
Everyday there is roadside construction
And all the times in between.
It seems they rearrange potholes
A parade of trucks set to overload
They get a full police escort
All the way down Wellington Road.
For there’s only one season in London
Your employer asks, “Where have you been?”
They paved a new road just to tear it up
And I got stuck behind the machine.
So if you’re stuck in rush route traffic
And the miles ahead won’t budge
Just park your car, wherever you are
And walk through the rivers of sludge.
We now live on the west coast an hour from Vancouver,
Next time we’re through Franklin, TN we will look for you, starting with signs of those colorful costumes. 🙂
Kind Regards,
Bill
Great memories of London and the YFC folks there.
Hey Ken, I too have been known to have bouts of PTHD.
As always, a fun post.
I would have never guessed Joel! (-;
Chattanooga did the same thing one weekend when Precepts had 9,000 guests in town and there was a major motorcycle rally downtown. You could get absolutely no where very quickly.
Glad I wasn’t there. Thank you for you story Lana
Very funny – I was recently in Franklin and made the fatal mistake of taking Mack Hatcher as a short cut – at least it used to be one when I lived there back in 1998. And where the heck did all those buildings in Cool Springs come from?