After years of traffic issues near Maple Grove Elementary School, construction has started on more than $1 million in improvements to help alleviate those issues.
A study by Indianapolis-based Crossroads Engineers showed illegal stacking of cars in the left turn lane of Whiteland Road waiting to get onto the Maple Grove campus during pick-up and drop-off times.
So, Center Grove Community Schools worked with the Town of Bargersville on an improvement plan.
Traffic congestion outside Maple Grove has been a problem for several years. School officials hope adding an extra lane for cars to wait in will improve traffic flow on Whiteland Road.
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The improvements will allow for about 65 cars to line up outside the school, according to a Crossroads Engineers graphic.
Construction crews arrived Tuesday to prepare the site for construction on the $1,039,311 project to be completed by Seymour-based All-Star Paving. Construction is expected to wrap up about July 6, said Stacy Conrad, spokesperson for Center Grove schools.
Along with the changes to Whiteland Road, construction crews will also expand the school’s parking lot to create space for more buses, said Bill Long, assistant superintendent of operations at Center Grove schools.
“This is a long-anticipated project we’re working on to improve traffic flow,” Long said during a school board meeting in March. “This will improve traffic flow from Whiteland Road for parent drop-off. This will improve the driveway entrance off Saddle Club Road and expand the bus parking lot and maintenance parking. We continue to grow and we have a need for more buses.”
The project was originally set to start in June, but with school buildings closed, traffic flow has decreased, giving construction workers the space they need to complete the project earlier.
The town of Bargersville was cooperative in getting everything approved, Long said.
“We wanted to get started ASAP to avoid traffic,” Long said. “On the plus side, we have a month’s head start without school. The engineers have reviewed everything and gone through the approval process. We worked with Julie Young, the town manager. They’ve been easy to work with. Everything was approved by the appropriate board.”
