In all of my car fantasies I'm able to drive the speed limit despite construction

MoDot is soon to shut down the southbound lanes of I-35 on the west side of the loop so highway crews can resume repairing pavement and bridges. The closing begins at 9 a.m. Monday.

After years of neglect I guess it's a good thing that they're actually working on the streets but in the end I'm sure the only immediate impact is going to be inconveniencing me and making me feel even worse when the area continues its downward slide as improvements in this town are never as substantial as public officials claim and continued neglect means the area will be back in the same mess sooner than you think. Very much like paying off all of your credit card debt by cashing in your 401k or telling your girlfriend that you love her . . . In the end, it's just a desperate attempt to dig yourself out of a hole without really changing your lifestyle.

To top off that optimistic outlook. Here is how your morning traffic jam will look if you have any need to head downtown . . .

A list of the ramps that will be closed beginning next Monday:

• U.S. 169/5th Street to southbound I-35 at the northwest corner of the Loop

• Westbound I-70 to southbound I-35 at the northwest corner of the Loop

• Eastbound I-70 to southbound I-35 at the northwest corner of the Loop

• Southbound I-35 to 12th Street on the west side of the Loop

• 12th Street ramp to southbound I-35 on the west side of the Loop

• 13th Street ramp to southbound I-35 on the west side of the Loop

And while I don't think Kansas City's traffic woes are reason to support public transit pipe dreams, I do think all of this will give me an opportunity to devote more time to listening to music in the car. Or maybe reading, I know that I've seen folks reading while driving before and it's always strengthened my faith in God or at least the ability of humans to make horrible mistakes and somehow still survive.