Headlines in The Day warn of impending snarled traffic and lane closures, associated with the I-95, Exit 74 interchange construction project, “East Lyme braces for more than 4 years of snarled traffic,” (March 16).

Incredibly, state bureaucrats estimate that the project will require 4 1/2 years to complete. What! Where has good old American ambition, productivity and the sense of accomplishment gone?

Four and a half years for an overpriced cloverleaf is incredible and does not pass the smell test. What is driving this ridiculous schedule? Regulation? Bureaucracy?

Our forefathers would be amazed at the standards we find acceptable today. In their day, when hard work was the norm and motivation to complete a project fundamental, timeliness was a virtue and a cost driver.

Examine a few of their constructive accomplishments.

Four and a half years to build the Hoover Dam.

Less than two years to erect the Empire State Building.

Two and a half years to build the first nuclear submarine, Nautilus, and have her to sea.

These are the accomplishments that grew America and the same standards that should apply today.

Robert DiNapoli

Old Lyme