![\"Construction](\"https:\/\/missiontimescourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Friars-page-1.jpg\")
<\/a>It\u2019s been a headache for people since development started in the west Mission Valley area years ago.<\/p>\n
Eventually, roads will be wider, ramps will be easier to access, and trips through it all should be easier \u2014 somewhat.<\/p>\n
Not everyone in the area is happy about it.<\/p>\n
At a recent CalTrans open house at the Mission Valley Library, Linda Vista resident John Pinzini said the noise is going to be unbearable, especially for people living above the construction zone.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of us don\u2019t have air conditioning. We have to leave the windows at home open, and a lot of this work is going to be done at night,\u201d he said. \u201cHow are we supposed to sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margarita Castro wants to know why it hasn\u2019t been done before now. \u201cThey\u2019ve collected all this money\u2026where is it? What took so long?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dorothy Perez lives in Mission Valley.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a mess \u2014 it already is, and it\u2019s only going to get worse,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Mike Harden uses the gas station and convenience store right at the Friars Road on-ramp to northbound 163, and he\u2019s not looking forward to all the trouble.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be a mess, but it should eventually get better \u2014 I hope,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A number of calls to Fashion Valley seeking their opinion have not been returned, so I can\u2019t say what they think, but it\u2019s worth noting that Fashion Valley has been fighting the project in its area since it was first announced.<\/p>\n Lenny Gardino is the superintendent of construction on the project for Flatiron West, the prime contractor for all the work.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve done this kind of work for a long time,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ll attack it by moving traffic lanes to the outside of the road to do our work in the middle, then move traffic to the middle while we do the outside lanes. Eventually, we\u2019ll be expanding the three lanes in each direction on Friars Road to four lanes, adding more turn lanes at the on- and off-ramps.\u201d<\/p>\n There is going to be a time when southbound 163 will be closed for work, and that will necessitate using Interstate 8 to the 805 north, and crossing on Aero Drive to access Linda Vista Road \u2014 or I-8 to Morena and access Linda Vista Road from the west. That will really inconvenience Linda Vista residents, but Gardino hopes that won\u2019t last long.<\/p>\n One thing that will hopefully make Fashion Valley at least a little happier about all this is that there will be no road closures between Thanksgiving Day and New Year\u2019s Day 2018. That should help preserve the Christmas shopping season as much as possible.<\/p>\n The best advice for everyone traveling through the area in the future is to stay alert to signs and traffic instructions that will be changing regularly as the work proceeds. It\u2019ll be difficult, but this has been needed for decades now, and it\u2019s finally getting done, however slowly.<\/p>\n As they always say: \u201cGrin and bear it.\u201d<\/p>\n