If you’ve been on Route 18 North lately, congratulations — you’ve passed the patience test of 2025. One lane open, cars backed up like it’s Black Friday at Circuit City, and every Facebook keyboard warrior suddenly earned their degree in civil engineering.
But while half the town is shouting, “Where are the workers?!,” a few brilliant voices — people like J.T., L.O., and D.S. — are out here dropping logic bombs like it’s their side hustle.
The Cones Are Up, But the Brains Are Down
Let’s be real. Most of the folks ranting online haven’t had a hard day of physical labor in their life. They think a “tough day” means their iced latte came with oat milk instead of almond and their Zoom call buffered once. Brutal.
Meanwhile, the people who actually know what it means to work in 95-degree heat are saying, “Hey, maybe don’t drop from heatstroke while paving asphalt.” But nah, some of y’all are out here losing your minds over five extra minutes in traffic like you’re on your way to deliver a kidney.
Shoutout to the Real Ones
People like J.T. are standing up for the workers. L.O. is reminding the crowd that there are actual guidelines for heat and rest breaks. D.S. is out here sharing his own stories of working in brutal heat and needing to cool off to avoid ending up in the ER. These are the folks showing empathy, not entitlement.
And then there’s that classic, “I didn’t see anyone working” argument. Right, because if you didn’t see it, it didn’t happen. Makes perfect sense. Maybe they were working while you were on your third Chick-fil-A run of the day.
Let’s Use Our Heads (And Maybe Some Sunscreen)
Look, we all hate traffic. But yelling into the void because a construction crew isn’t melting on a highway just to satisfy your road rage? Not it.
Maybe, just maybe, the people defending the workers — the ones who understand safety, timing, staging, and the heat index — are the voices we should be listening to.
Or we could keep pretending we’re all experts because we once watched a guy fix a pothole on TikTok. Either way, we’ll be here to keep the cones company.
📣 Got thoughts? Drop them in the comments, but if you’ve never sweat through your socks before 9 a.m., maybe sit this one out.
Eyes on EB — we see you, we hear you, we honk behind you.
