The Highway Worker

                                    The Highway Worker

The Highway Worker The clock on the wall read 8:02. Doug the Assistant Supervisor came out into the garage bay and yelled at the workers congregating around pickup truck parked in the first bay. “It’s show time, get in here.” The employees; Monroe, Lopez, McCarty, Hooper, Lorenzo, Learner, Maxwell, Michaels, and Erickson, all started filing into the crew office for their assignments for the day. Everyone found a seat, either on a bench, office chair, or desk. The Supervisor John Watters walked into the office with the daily assignments. “Listen up everyone” he said, the room went quiet. “Hooper, take the grader, and Learner, you take truck 1053, and repair ruts west on State Route 10 from where it splits from Route7” “And, just east of the Kill Creek Bridge there are a bunch of ruts make sure you get them all.” “I got it, all the ruts”, came the reply from Learner. “Lopez you get truck 1028 and the attenuator, McCarty, you take the old pickup and an arrow board, Maxwell you get 1108 and an arrow board, Monroe you take Lorenzo and get 1168 the patch truck, and I want you to patch westbound Interstate 435 west of the Interstate 35 interchange,” said Watters, “Michaels take truck 1029, and Erickson with you, I want you to pick up litter on route 7”, “There are adopt a highway bags, between milepost 159 and 161, and further up between 163and 165, I want you to get these first thing,” Doug, you come with me we have a Supervisor meeting over in Olathe at 9:00.” “Everyone got it wired; ok then, make it happen.” Everyone dispersed to their assigned trucks, did the pre-operational safety checks, and converged once again outside in front of the office to form up go to the job site together. Walking out of the bay, toward Maxwell who was replacing a bulb in the arrow board, McCarty asked, “which sign do we need?” “ The right lane closed ahead sign, against the wall in bay three,” Maxwell replied, as McCarty turned and strode into bay three. Carrying the sign out of the bay, she carelessly tossed the sign into the back of the old pickup, and silently watched as Maxwell repaired the arrow board. As McCarty got in the old pickup, Maxwell finished replacing the bulb, then went into bay three to start the flatbed truck 1108. Monroe started the front-end loader, and Lorenzo started the patch truck, and proceeded to the cold patch asphalt stored next to the salt shed. Lorenzo spread diesel fuel in the dump bed of the truck, and on four flat nose shovels. Adams loaded the cold patch in to the truck as Lorenzo put the shovels in the bed from behind. Monroe returned the front-end loader to the garage bay. As the loading of the cold patch was being accomplished, Lopez was installing “Right Two Lanes Closed Ahead” on to the rear his truck and, Maxwell, and McCarty were doing likewise on their arrow boards. By the time Monroe, McCarty, and Lopez were finished so were, Maxwell and Lopez. At 8:40, the patch truck, flatbed, pickup truck, and the attenuator truck, all departed for the I-435 work area. With the patch truck in the lead, the convoy left the shop, going east on the Shawnee Mission Parkway, then south on 435, where it turned onto east 435. The convoy turned around at Quivira St, and pulled off of the road west of the I-35 interchange. Lopez put the attenuator down and turned on his arrow board to make sure it worked, Maxwell, and McCarty did the same with their arrow boards. When all was ok, McCarty stayed on the shoulder, and everyone else slowly closed the right two lanes. Monroe and Lorenzo were driving slowly patching potholes in the pavement as they went along. They had patched a mile or so from where they started, and had been going along at a steady pace, until they got to the Lackman Road off ramp. Just west of the off ramp, the morning came to a grinding halt as far as work was concerned. Maxwell looked in his rearview mirror, saw a maroon Chrysler minivan coming at a high rate of speed, he looked in the left mirror, looked in the right mirror, and braced him self for the impact. After the impact, he grabbed the radio mike and contacted Watters. “16810 to 1681,” “16810 to 1681,” “16810 go ahead”, “This is 16810 I have been hit”, “I am west bound 435 at Lackman, request an ambulance, a fire truck, and the highway patrol”, “10-4 16810 I will be there in two minutes, 1681 clear.” “Roger 16810, clear”, Maxwell unhooked the fire extinguisher from it’s mount, jumped out of the truck and raced to the driver of the van who was now out sitting on the freeway. “Are you all right sir,” Maxwell asked. “I am fine,” replied the driver, “What happened sir, didn’t you see me”, “I was dialing my cell phone and looked away for a split second”, “I didn’t see you until it was too late,” replied the driver, “You have a nasty gash on your forehead, and it is bleeding”, Maxwell said, “I will be ok,” mumbled the driver, “Well the paramedics will be here shortly”, Maxwell left the fire extinguisher on the pavement, as Lopez, Monroe, and Lorenzo arrived. Maxwell then went to his truck, got an orange flag, from the emergency kit that all highway trucks have, and assisted Lopez, Lorenzo, and Monroe in traffic control at the accident scene. The fire department, the paramedics, the supervisor, and the highway patrol all arrived at virtually the same time. The highway patrol officer with a wave summoned Maxwell; he casually walked over to the officer, “Drivers License please”, asked the officer, “Here you are, sir,” Maxwell said, as he handed the license to the officer. As Maxwell was filling out the accident report, the others were cleaning up the debris, and directing traffic. “Maxwell you have to go to and fill out an accident report”, intoned Watters”, As the accident started to clear, Maxwell departed for Olathe to fill out an accident report with Watters. After that, Maxwell would have to go to the lab on 95th street and get a drug test. “Morning Randall how the hell are you”, Maxwell joked as he walked into the office to see Kathy, “Good morning Kathy, how are you today,” Maxwell asked, “Fine so far, but it is early yet,” replied Kathy, “Fill this out, and return it to me, Kathy said, Maxwell filled out the entire report not leaving out any thing. After he was finished, it was lunchtime. After lunch, he would go do the drug test and then go back to work. Maxwell went to the drug test lab, on 95th St. He walked into the lobby and to a receptionist. He handed the paperwork to her. “Have a seat and a nurse will be with you shortly,” she said After a few minutes, a nurse motioned Maxwell through the door she was holding open. “So Mr. Maxwell How are you today?” “Fair to midland, how about yourself,” “Fine thank you for asking.” said the nurse, Maxwell and the nurse walkrd down the hall and entered a restroom. The nurse handed Maxwell a cup. “Please fill this up to the line”, The nurse checked the stall; Maxwell entered, filled the cup up with urine, and came out again. The nurse poured the cup into two smaller bottles, and sealed them up. “Sign here on the bottles”, “And here on the line,” Maxwell signed the remaining paperwork, received a copy and went back to the shop, The pothole patching crew went down to patching one lane, as there were no more arrow boards. As the afternoon wore on Maxwell cleaned up the shop as the other workers started filing in from their assignments, at the end of the workday. By 4:15 pm, everyone was ready to go home, and was standing once again in bay one against the old pickup talking among them selves. “Man that light was a total loss, stated Monroe”, Yeah, it was,” replied Lorenzo, “It was shoved about two feet up under 1108, the fuel line was severed, and diesel fuel was spewing out of it a good five minutes before the fire department could get it under control,” mused Monroe, “Oh well maybe we will get a new light now,” said Lopez, “Probably not,” that one was supposed to last twenty years, not fifteen”, chimed Doug, “We won’t see another one for awhile,” said McCarty, “What time is it?” asked Monroe, “4:30 by my watch, and time to go home, “said Erickson. And with that, everyone filed out of the bay, toward his or her cars and trucks. Lopez shut off the lights, and Monroe shut the bay door, and followed the rest.