I try to make checking my junk mail a daily activity. I receive hundreds of emails a day and if I don’t go through the junk – where legitimate emails frequently are assigned by the email gods – I miss out on some good story ideas.

The emails about Interstate 91 issues from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) seem to wind up there. I always look for them as they describe current conditions on the viaduct project.

I try to pass these along on our Facebook page, but I seldom heed their advice. The reason is as a new rule of my life I try to avoid that stretch of the highway at all costs.

My orders for the next three years or so are always to find an alternative route – a mental exercise that I do nearly every day of the workweek.

I think there is a possibility for some kind of game here or a race.
Since my office is in East Longmeadow, but my coverage area is Springfield, Chicopee and Holyoke – with the recent departure of a reporter I now have trips to make to other communities as well – I must think before I drive.

I know that sounds odd. Of course all of us think before we drive, but let’s face it: we may be paying attention to driving conditions but when it comes to the route we take to a frequent destination we are on autopilot.

Essentially I have to duplicate the north-south route of the highway but do it on city streets. It’s interesting to note that many other folks have the same idea.

For instance, I can go into Springfield and travel along Central Street until it hits Maple, and then becomes Chestnut to eventually get on the highway near the Interstate 391 exchange. That means though traveling past Baystate Medical Center and making a left turn toward the highway at an oddly constructed intersection.

Now I seek to avoid that left, so I continue up the hill and enter Chicopee through Springfield Street. I am not only trying to avoid the highway, but now steer clear of the most popular alternatives.

I’ve not taken the time to figure out if I am driving more miles and using more gas, but I know I’m training myself to add 15 to 20 minutes to almost every journey.

I’ve grown to realize that during the evening rush the folks who work in downtown and live in East Longmeadow or Longmeadow use the Central Street corridor through my neighborhood, so I try to make sure I’m not there when they are.

My wife and I frequently shop in West Springfield as those supermarkets are within two miles or so of our home. We are now training ourselves to go to other outlets because of the traffic on Route 5.

I suppose all of this strategic effort is fueled by a wish not to find myself sitting in traffic unless it is unavoidable. Life is too short to do that and I’m too old.

At the same time, these work trips provide a mental challenge for me. How can I get from Point A to Point B with the least amount of traffic? No I don’t use GPS. I operate under the assumption – one of many every day – I know the thoroughfares of this area far better than a computer and satellite.

Although I’m sure the Batmobile does have GPS, at night especially, being a Batman fan, I like to picture myself as the Caped Crusader careening down the side roads of our own Gotham eluding the authorities or the bad guys as I reach my destination through almost secret means.

You need such diversions if you’ve just attended a municipal meeting for a couple of hours.

Of course my work life would be a tad easier if my office wasn’t on the far side of my reporting universe – perhaps a temporary satellite Reminder Publications World Domination Headquarters could open up in a more central location.

How are you faring avoiding Interstate 91? Drop me a line at news@thereminder.com or at 280 N. Main St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. As always, this column represents the opinion of its author and not the publishers or advertisers of this newspaper.