get me to the church on time

Stanley Holloway would not have had any trouble getting to church on time.

That is, if his intended destination to get hitched was at the Costalege Community Church in Villa Obregón.

Less than two weeks ago we talked about the street repair work that was underway near the church in moving to mexico -- infrastructure. Road equipment had been put in place for what seemed to be the start of paving the last block of street that our summer floods had reverted to its old streambed. The prediction was accurate.

When we opened the church doors last Sunday, the road had been filled in and graded. The task was far more difficult than that sentence implies. Several dump-truck loads of fill were hauled in and then leveled. And that is where the matter remained --

Until I drove by the church on Thursday evening on my way to dinner at La Oficina. The intersection that will eventually be paved is still deep enough that I needed to slow down. I am glad I did.

Off to my left was a surprising sight. The street in front of the church was almost completely paved. 

The crew still had several yards of road to cover with concrete and stone, but it was well on its way to completion. Another crew was finishing the work on the curbs and sidewalks. It could have been a scene out of New Westminster.

The work is not yet complete. The intersection with Reforma, the main street that runs north and south, still needs to be connected to the paved blocks. When I drove by yesterday, it had been untouched. And that is understandable. Reforma carries the majority of north-south traffic in Villa Obregón -- and there are very few practical detours for buses and delivery tucks. 

The obvious question is how wear-worthy the new work is. The newly-paved street does not get much traffic from heavy vehicles. Certainly, not like Reforma. That is one reason the paving project is so unusual. Had the flood not destroyed the road, it would not now be getting the royal treatment it has received. 

The greatest challenge the street will face in the future is flooding. It acts as a conduit for flood waters  heading to the laguna and then to the sea. The test will be whether it has been designed to withstand the water undermining the new construction. But that is an examination that will be sat only when the next floods come. And they will.

For now, we can enjoy a smooth path to the church's front door. And the neighbors will once again have a street in front of their houses.

You are welcome to make that drive. Church services are conducted there at 10 AM every Sunday.