Highway Express

Philadelphia Freedom

How many licks does it take to get the center of a Tootsie Pop?

If you ask Mr. Owl (from that old TV commercial), the answer is three. If you ask the Tootsie Roll people, the answer ⏤ yes, from the results of “detailed scientific studies” ⏤ ranges from 144 to 411 licks.

And you ever notice that some scaffolding on buildings seems to have been up for years?

On the flip side, in Punjab they built a 10-story building in 48 hours. And in Shelby County, Alabama, they completed a 12,000 square foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom house, including electricity and plumbing, in 3 hours, 26 minutes, 34 seconds.

So, when Philadelphia and the state of Pennsylvania announced that the damaged section of I-95 would open at noon on June 23, 2023, two weeks after a tragic accident stopped and snarled traffic, we’re both impressed and appreciative of the speed and the coordination.

Impressed because the pace of clearing and reconstructing seems to have broken some bureaucratic land-speed record.

Appreciative because as a third-party logistics operation, we need and depend on flowing arteries, especially along major population centers that the I-95 corridor connects and serves.

Otherwise, why do rebuilding, patching, and reinforcing take so long? We can point fingers at bureaucracy, that convoluted negotiation of federal, state, and local requirements (sometimes known as paperwork). Also in the mix are environmental impact statements and timespans required for community comment.

The cost of doing business involves a time factor. Time: the precious commodity.

If we can streamline the process and accelerate the time frame, with a keen eye on safety and efficiency, everybody wins.