$125 million Lafayette Street Extension to PA Turnpike

Full Story Here: Times Herald, Sept 2, 2010

The $125 million Lafayette Street corridor extension to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the reconstruction, which is expected to transform Norristown, is slated to being next year.

Construction of the four-lane road connection from Lafayette and Ford streets to Conshohocken Road is scheduled in 2011 and 2012, according to the county Planning Commission.

Ridge Pike intersection construction at Diamond Avenue and at a new “connector road” to the Lafayette extension would be completed in 2013 and 2014. Widening and rebuilding the existing Lafayette Street from Barbadoes to Ford streets in Norristown would be completed in 2015 and 2016.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will build the EZ-pass toll plaza and entrance and exit ramps on the turnpike between 2014 to 2017.

Are you "Prehypertensive"?

(fr: http://online.wsj.com/ 11/9/10):

...About a third of U.S. adults have hypertension, which leads to one in six deaths in the U.S. But at least the same number, and possibly as many as 37%, are prehypertensive. Because prehypertension was only formally identified as a concern in 2003, doctors haven't reached consensus on treatment, and there is mounting debate about the best approach....



Lifestyles of the Fit and Healthy

These modifications help prevent and manage hypertension.

1. Maintain normal body weight (body mass index of 18.5 to 24.9).
2. Consume a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products with a reduced content of saturated and total fat.
3. Reduce dietary sodium intake to between 1,500 and 2,400 mg a day. The American Heart Association recommends less than 1,500 mg daily.
4. Engage in aerobic physical activity such as brisk walking for at least 30 to 60 minutes a day, most days of the week.
5. Limit alcohol consumption to no more than two drinks (e.g., 24 oz beer, 10 oz wine, or 3 oz 80-proof whiskey) a day for most men, and to no more than one drink a day for women and lighter-weight people.
6. Avoid tobacco, reduce stress and cut back on caffeine.
7. Source: National Institutes of Health/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Replaced iPhone Battery

I ordered a replacement battery for my 3 year old iPhone 3G a few months ago from http://www.ifixit.com/ and finally got around to replacing it this weekend. I tried to swap it from a remote location with only the tools provided in the iFixit kit http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Installing-iPhone-3G-Battery/577/1 but the screwdriver was too narrow to replace two of the screws, so I had to wait to get back to my desk and try again with eyeglass screwdrivers and it worked! The project took about 25 minutes and now my new battery is charging... Curious to see how long it will last in comparison.