Autumn weather didn’t mess around this year. When the temperatures cooled, they did so in a hurry.
Tuesday morning brought a cold rain on a dreary day. It really felt like fall outside, even if we ended up waiting until mid-October for the first signs of decorative gourd season.
Yes, Halloween is just a couple of weeks away. Fall sports are wrapping up, and it’s almost time to take the majority of activities inside.
Thank goodness the weather held off as long as it did.
The recent improvements to Highway N from the roundabout at Kentucky Avenue to the intersection with Humphreys Road and NW 136th Street were recently finished. I used the opportunity Tuesday night after dinner at home to use the new roadway, and it impressed.
The new sidewalk down the south edge of the road looks great, and the widened shoulders and new curbs make it feel brand new. The work went almost a month over original estimates, but I’ll call it worth the wait after my inaugural trip.
In addition, the resurfacing on Highway 92 continues to move along, although the rain Monday will slow down progress. Much of the new asphalt has been laid down with striping work still needed.
Aside from the chaos created for a couple of days on the two-lane stretch of road — from Marshall to Second Street — over a couple of days, the work hasn’t had much of an impact on traffic. I might even be a little sensitive because The Citizen’s lot became a popular turnaround spot.
For a couple of hours, I got excited about the additional visitors untilI realized none of them were coming in to buy newspaper subscriptions, just making a casual circle on the way to an alternate route.
While the cold weather shocked the system early this week, we still live in Missouri.
The warm days won’t be completely behind us. By the time you read this, temperatures likely already hit the 80s again with a pleasant weekend slated for the area.
That’s fine by me.
Still plenty of time to visit area pumpkin patches and decorate in fall themes. Plenty of time for Missouri Department of Transportation to finish the striping on the new Highway 92 surface.
However, hibernation season will start soon on progress.
The next big development will likely be the start of construction on Platte City’s new QuikTrip, but I’m still not sure what to expect. This saga seems to have been going on long enough for Disney to release a new Star Wars movie and a trailer this past Sunday for another.
I’m sure it will happen, but maybe not until spring.
After a busy couple of years, I won’t mind the wait. We’ve seen a lot happen in Platte City, specifically, during the past few years, but big projects are cooling off — much like the weather early this week.
Both will be temporary breaks from the norm if I were to guess.
Ross Martin is publisher of The Citizen. He may be reached via email at editor@plattecountycitizen.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Citizen_Ross.