Dear Editor,

My wife and I enjoy eating out on rare occasions. We recently found a diner in Hazleton that serves good food at great prices. The only problem is getting there! I say that to say this. We usually travel Route 209 to Route 93 over the mountain. However, with the recent accidents, we have had to take Route 309. I cannot believe the condition of Route 309 from Tamaqua to Hazleton. Almost every joint in the pavement is terrible; then some educated roadmaster had someone send a grinder over to the pavement to "roughen it up a little" so they could eventually (years from now) repave the highway.That brings me to another brilliant idea some roadmasters are coming up with. The latest creation not only on Pennsylvania Department of Transportation roadways, but also in local boroughs is to lay down what they call "wearing course," which is nothing more than tar and chips. Great idea, except it only wears down our tires, chips the paint and coats the car with tar. Our "brains" at PennDOT recently laid down a beautiful pavement from Aquashicola to Kunkletown, which was ideal for a short time. Now they are covering it with the noisy, beautiful "wearing course."Saturday I had breakfast with some over-the-road truckers who also have a few choice words for PennDOT, but space does not allow me to reveal. Talk to anybody around you and learn that it is not just me who is fed up with our highways today!Thank you,Richard M. Gross