Road construction on Dague Avenue has impacted almost every student’s drive to and from school since the end of September.
With one of the main roads to the high school closed and heavy traffic in and out of the parking lot, problems have ranged from 20-minute delays in the lot to more fender benders occurring inside and outside of school as students scramble to work, sports, or home.
BHS is a school with over 2,000 students, many of whom are drivers, that travel to and from school by car daily. Every morning and afternoon, there is a line to get in and out of the student parking lot. Some students have to wait in their cars for 15 – 20 minutes before being able to leave the lot at the end of the day. Lines of cars have students lined from bumper to bumper. There has also been an increase of car accidents involving students.
Upperclassmen have expressed their distaste for the new parking lot rules, such as: having the entrance to the student parking lot split into two lanes, and not being able to turn right at the stoplight at the end of the day in order to prevent the roundabout from backing up.
“It would be nice if someone was out there to direct traffic,” said Senior Claudia Staut. “A lot of people are arriving late, especially me because the traffic lights take forever.”
Staut has been driving to and from school since her Junior year and thinks that the construction “could not have been done at a worse time”.
The construction was originally planned to take place during the summer of 2021 and be completed sometime in 2022, but it was postponed due to a supply shortage. Until it is completed in the fall of 2022, the road will be gravel.
“I like the plan they currently have in place now,” said Junior Caleb Cruse, “but they should have done the construction when school was not in session like in the summer.”
BHS is doing as much as it can to help students enter and leave the parking lot safely. They have provided students with updates showing new adjustments for morning and afternoon traffic. they have also provided a map with traffic flow instructions, but students have conflicting opinions on which plan is better or if a plan is even necessary.
“It’s stupid. Every time I try to leave there is a huge line of cars, and no matter where I go it’s backed up,” said Junior Kaitlyn Diederich. “I don’t it at all. You should just be able to go where you want, except where the road is closed of course.”
“I think that they handled the construction pretty well,” said Junior Dylan Mart. “They have more options and you know what’s going on. Even if something changes, you still know what’s going on.”
Whether some students choose to follow the road instructions or not, the Buffalo High School road plan continues to remind students why understanding the parking lot rules is important. BHS wants its students to be cautious and patient during this time, in and out of the parking lot.
