Part of Interstate 5 (I-5) in Sacramento is below ground level. And that part happens to be almost next to the Sacramento River, which means ground water problems. This “boat” section has been damaged enough by groundwater to require rebuilding. And the state Dept of Transportation decided to get it fixed fast, rather than over several months.

That required totally shutting down the freeway for 6-day periods to allow for 24-hour work.

I-5 is a major north-south freeway route. Lots of cars and trucks, not to mention the local commuters. Shutting it down is big news.

So the media got really excited. We all have to “Survive I-5”. Radio and TV warnings all the time, and a “Fix I-5” web site (www.fixi-5.com, if you are interested), with traffic cameras and warnings of apocalyptic commuting nightmares.

And the requisite media live cameras, breathless reporters, and more.

It is all starting to look like what happens when you kick an ant hill. Every media and publicist is scrambling this way and that. We all have to car pool. Or stagger our work hours. Or work from home. Or take mass transit. Or ride our bikes to work (yeah, a 30 mile ride each way).

So the northbound lanes closed Friday night. And all weekend hyper-reporters telling us that it’s going to be gridlock time.

Remember y2K? I had to be in the Y2K “emergency operations center” that New Years Eve. And it was quite boring. I left at 1230am, because nothing was happening.

Same with this “Survive I-5”. The usual backlogs, maybe a bit more. But no major commuter nightmare.

All those “media ants”scurrying this way and that.