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With 3 schools now clustered, district looks at traffic control
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Published: June 26, 2009
Anticipating three times the traffic flow on several south Mooresville roads this fall, the Mooresville Graded School District has a variety of measures in place to help ease the potential congestion three schools may cause.
With Rocky River Elementary and the district's new Mooresville Middle expected to open their doors Aug. 25 – nearby Mooresville Intermediate on N.C. 3 opened a year ago – the number of cars traveling N.C. 3, Kistler Farm and Rocky River roads could increase by threefold on school days.
But MGSD Director of Operations Stephen Mauney said steps have been taken to keep traffic moving smoothly.
"I think the staggered start times will help with congestion," he said, noting that MMS will begin classes at 7:30 a.m. and its traffic "should be well out of the way" before MIS starts at 8:30 a.m. and Rocky River at 8:45 a.m.
In addition to the varied starting times, street widening has taken place along Rocky River Road to accommodate more drivers. The creation of left- and right-turn lanes will provide fewer delays at the school's entrance, said Mauney.
N.C. 3 was widened prior to the start of the 2008-09 school year, Mauney noted, to create a right-turn lane onto the MIS campus.
The district also implemented a "right in/right out" traffic pattern to help mitigate congestion during drop-off and pickup times. That will continue next school year, he said.
"The (N.C.) Department of Transportation was adamant about not backing up Highway 3 at all," he explained. "And without a traffic signal, there's no way to have people turn left out of MIS without causing major backups."
Because of a nearby creek, which would require a culvert, creating a left-turn lane on N.C. 3 for MIS would have cost the district more than $500,000, Mauney said.
"With all the budget cuts, we didn't have an extra half million to do the road improvement," he said, thus the right-turn-only designation was the "most economical and beneficial" way to keep traffic at a "steady flow."
To increase the safety of students and drivers in the vicinity of the district's three schools east of Kistler Farm Road, Mauney said flashing yellow lights will be installed atop street signs, warning drivers of a nearby school entrance.
Additionally, the MGSD has requested the speed designations of "School Zones" – 35 miles per hour – near the entrance to Rocky River Elementary. Mauney said those should be in place during August. Both MIS and MMS already have those safety restrictions.
The MGSD previously "requested stoplights at both the entrance to the new MIS and the new Rocky River Elementary School," added Mauney, although approval was not granted in either case because a traffic study on the area has yet to be conducted.
Once road improvements are completed around the three schools, Mauney said the DOT should survey any congestion concerns.
The district also plans to monitor other adjacent streets and intersections, including the intersection of Briarcliff and Kistler Farm Road. In the past, traffic has often backed up on Briarcliff as cars waited to turn left onto Kistler Farm to go to the intermediate school.
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