Driving home on Interstate 27 the other day, a question popped into my noggin.

How did the highway department finish this job so quickly? It seemed as if the roadway was all torn up and then — presto! — the asphalt is laid down, the lanes are striped and traffic is flowing just like it’s supposed to do.

Road construction is becoming a way of life around Amarillo. I’ve long thought I should get into the orange barrel- and cone-distribution business. I’d make a fortune right here in the Panhandle alone.

But this latest job seems as if it went more smoothly than many recent highway construction projects.

Particularly striking is the suddenness in which it went from “Road Work Ahead” to “End of Road Work.”

The E-Way is smooth — and quiet under the tires of my car. I can hear the radio now.

Now, about that shabby landscaping at the interchange …