Road so rough it broke the car wheel. Road that had to get worse before it would get better.

Most of the summer they’ve been stripping years off Fox Mill Road, layer upon layer of pockmarked macadam. Until finally they got to that ripply layer at the bottom, the one you wonder if you should actually drive on but always do because for a few weeks it’s the only road there is.

For years I’ve pondered when this hilly, winding relic would be repaved. Even to the point of thinking the non-repair was strategic, a way to lessen the traffic. (And I’m not so sure that it wasn’t.)

But finally, this summer, the trucks appeared, the orange cones. For once I didn’t sigh at the sight of them. And then, a few days ago, I turned right, braced myself for the bumps and found … brand-new pavement, white and yellow lines fresh from the paint truck.

A smooth ride!