I'll be honest, I'm bothered. Most of my blogs I want to make uplifting and positive, but writing this, I'm irate. Maybe this is a cliché topic or old news to most, but what is going on with access to 76 from downtown Akron? 

Taking a quick step back, our 3rd annual WQMX Think Pink Party for Bosom Buddies was a blast! HunterGirl and Corey Kent were amazing, and alongside the Klaben Auto Stores, we want to thank all our wonderful listeners who came out in support of breast cancer awareness. Check out our socials for all the pictures of this great night! 

Now, heading back home from that for me was a different story. It was awful. 

In the El Camino, I can hardly afford to drive all over as she really sucks down the plus-grade gas with that big V8. So, I figured I'd go straight from The Civic to 76 East and hitch it home. Well, what do you know, 76 East off South Main* said it was closed down for construction. No problem, I thought; I'll just head west and turn around at the next exit.

So that's what I attempted to do, and wouldn't you know it, that eastbound on-ramp was closed too! Wonderful. With the way that area was, I couldn't seem to just jump back on westbound to hit up the next off-ramp, so I took the backroads going that way (further west) instead. Eventually, cruising up to the area of the next exit, I noticed that ramp was closed too....

You've got to be kidding me here. 

Then, of course, I got all mixed up in that unfamiliar area with no directions and a dead phone battery. I tried following the detour signs, but they were just for the certain neighborhood streets and not the highway, and that messed me up even worse. I somehow went all the way to the Kenmore Boulevard looking for any plausible route before I surrendered and turned around. I back tracked all the way to South Main where I then continued running the back roads going east, parallel to the interstate. It wasn't until Kelly Avenue that I could find my way on to 76, and at that point I was ready to scream. I'm still so frustrated.

I must ask; how can they close down three* consecutive on-ramps like that? Doing so eliminates access for a huge radius of traffic and inconveniences lots of folks daily. My fifteen minute commute took every bit of forty-five minutes and then some. For that, I'm still irate. 

I was already up well past my bedtime, then there's this nonsense and I'm all amped up. Catching any shut eye before working the third shift went right out the window. Even before, it was a nightmare for me on the way to the show with the ATM glitching for a long time while my card was in the machine, alongside some other issues. And don't even get me started on the amount of expensive fuel I wasted. Oh, and my hubcap went flying into the ditch after I hit a nasty Akron pothole; so I had to stop and look for that as well when I should have been asleep. Hopefully my truck's alright.

My heart goes out to everyone who lives in that area and has to deal with the metaphorical middle-finger from whoever's responsible for what's going on with 76. To cut off access to practically the entire west-central half of the city is not cool. Then, of course, there's the issue with 76 to 77 South at the Central Interchange, but at least I can run up north by the University and turn around there, as these things should go at the minimum. I'm pretty sure 77 South to 224 is still shut off too, after all this time! It's totally out of hand with these Akron highway projects, and I just want to know why. 

I'm typically an easy-going individual, but I'm still bothered. Good music always helps better my mood, so I'll leave you off with a song that sort-of relates, below. Thanks for reading! 

*Update: I'm pretty sure South Main to 76 East is NOT closed. The signage suggested otherwise, I thought. Looking at the maps online, though, it appears open. My GPS tried to take me that way initially, too, before my phone died. Surely I read it wrong. You already know I'm going to go back and find out exactly where the disconnect was, though. Stay posted!