Prescott South Elementary and Middle School expecting a more efficient start to the school year following the full reopening of all four lanes on Jefferson Avenue.
Principal Tera Brooks said the completion of the long-term construction project eliminates the need for alternate traffic routes or lane closure notifications that previously complicated the school commute.
“We are hoping that it’s going to be smooth sailing,” Brooks said. “So we’re excited that there’s nothing closed that we foresee right now, and everything’s open, so hopefully that’ll help us expedite drop-off and pick-up in the mornings.”
Brooks said the school will still utilize a traffic controller to direct vehicles in and out of the building. Brooks said motorists must remain cognizant of speed limits and flashing lights in the school zone even with the improved road capacity.
“I know that parents can get frustrated because we understand, because it’s hard to wait in those lines when you’re picking up your son or your daughter after school or trying to drop off in before school too,” Brooks said. “So we just feel that that’s going to alleviate the frustrations of our parents as they’re trying to get to and from multiple schools possibly in the district.”
Brooks said the construction project began during her first year at the school and has presented various obstacles for six consecutive years. Brooks said the school previously had to adjust to changing road conditions over the summer, including rerouting traffic when specific roads or lanes were closed to the public.
“It has been kind of an obstacle every year to have to, you know, what new had to change over the summer, did we have to reroute things, is a lane closed, or is there a road closed that people might have usually used?” Brooks said. “But this year we don’t have that. So the greatness is, is we’ve got the freedom to get to and from school and we’re excited.”
Brooks said some families previously spent 30 to 45 minutes in their cars each afternoon while trying to navigate commutes between multiple different school campuses. Brooks said the improved traffic flow on Jefferson Avenue will help teachers who stay after school to monitor students and manage the dismissal line.
“My students can’t drive, so they rely on either the buses or their parents to get them to school every day,” Brooks said. “And so it’s huge, being able to get here and be on time, so that way they can start their day off without being in a hurry or a little panicked because they’re being late.”
Brooks said the school maintained communication with T-DOT and local officials throughout the construction process to receive updates on closures. Brooks said the most difficult period occurred when construction was directly in front of the school, which at one point made it take 45 minutes just to exit the building.
“It’s just nice to have that road completely open, all four lanes, we’ve got the turning lanes, it’s just been very nice, smooth sailing in the morning, not worrying about having to, oh my goodness, having a text message from a teacher, ‘I’m running late because they’ve got us backed up on Jefferson’ or something like that,” Brooks said. “So I think that it’s just nice having it open so we don’t have to worry about are we going to be on time or not on time.”
