Post by d204mom on Jan 28, 2008 9:37:50 GMT -6
Gridlock on the horizon?
Potential traffic problems on D204's radar as new school could mean road congestion
January 28, 2008
By BRITT CARSON Staff writer
Building a second high school on Eola Road sounds like a traffic jam waiting to happen.
Waubonsie Valley High School sits only a few miles south of the proposed 3,000-student school and Interstate 88 is just to the north.
» Click to enlarge image After-school traffic begins Thursday at Waubonsie Valley High School. Officials are looking at whether the opening of a third high school 4 miles away will dramatically affect area traffic.
(Kate Szrom/Staff photographer)
Indian Prairie School District 204 wants to build Metea Valley High School on 86.5 acres along Eola and Molitor roads in Aurora, just south of I-88.
Congestion seems like a given.
But district administrators have already considered this. A traffic impact study of the area is under way, said Todd Depaul, project manager for the new school, and officials hope it will provide some answers in the next few weeks.
"We met with DuPage County back in December and laid out our proposed plan at that time," Depaul said.
A consulting firm does the traffic study, which the county then reviews. According to a preliminary site plan, the district wants two access points for Metea, a stoplight at Eola and Molitor roads to help with buses and another access onto Eola further north from the student parking lot.
The study will address the number of cars that currently travel the road and the feasibility of adding stoplights, Depaul said.
The study is required by DuPage County, said Dave Ziesemer, a traffic engineer with DuPage County.
Two high schools on Eola Road
The issue of traffic is not new to District 204. Waubonsie Valley sits at Eola Road and Route 34 in Aurora. After school, a staff member controls a key that allows them to trigger the lights to change more often to help alleviate backups and help the buses get through. They also act as crossing guards and help students who have to cross Ogden Avenue to get to the main campus from the freshmen center after school, Principal Jim Schmid said.
"We have people that assist with keeping things moving steadily," Schmid said. "Most of the time the staff is there to make sure cars stop and recognize there are students crossing."
He said the busiest time of day is about 7:10 a.m., combining the morning rush hour and students arriving for school. Over the years, staff has devoted a significant amount of time to handling the traffic, including a restricted turn lane in and out of the faculty lot onto Eola Road implemented last year. Buses also are brought in a few minutes earlier to avoid the traffic crunch.
Schmid said they work closely with the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Aurora Police Department on how to keep the traffic flowing and are always looking at new solutions.
"I think we do as well as we can," Schmid said.
Metea Valley will be about 4.6 miles north of Waubonsie, but also along Eola Road. Depaul said he didn't think having two high schools along the same road would be a problem. Although they will be dismissed at the same time, students would likely be heading in different directions and not necessarily overlapping.
I-88 interchange
The traffic study also will take into account the possibility of a new interchange off I-88 onto Eola Road. The city of Aurora and DuPage County are splitting the cost of the interchange, which is estimated to cost anywhere between $26 million and $40 million.
The city of Aurora is responsible for purchasing nine parcels of land needed for exit ramps. It completed deals on two of those parcels last year.
New businesses possible
With the addition of Metea Valley, new businesses that cater to high schools could pop up, said Joseph Henning, president and CEO of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce.
This was the case of the strip malls near Neuqua Valley High School that sprung up with businesses catering to the high school crowd, such as fast-food restaurants.
"Where there is opportunity for development, the necessary businesses tend to follow," Henning said. "I see this as being great for District 204 and for the residents of the far east side of Aurora and surrounding communities."
The district is sticking to a tight construction timeline and wants to break ground on Metea in April. It plans to open the school in the fall of 2009 with freshmen and sophomores, with some large items such as the pool and auditorium completed in December '09.
The land, currently owned by St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church and Midwest Generation, will cost about $16.5 million.
When Metea opens, the Waubonsie Valley freshmen center will be converted back into a middle school.
Contact Britt Carson at bcarson@scn1.com or 630-416-5269.
Potential traffic problems on D204's radar as new school could mean road congestion
January 28, 2008
By BRITT CARSON Staff writer
Building a second high school on Eola Road sounds like a traffic jam waiting to happen.
Waubonsie Valley High School sits only a few miles south of the proposed 3,000-student school and Interstate 88 is just to the north.
» Click to enlarge image After-school traffic begins Thursday at Waubonsie Valley High School. Officials are looking at whether the opening of a third high school 4 miles away will dramatically affect area traffic.
(Kate Szrom/Staff photographer)
Indian Prairie School District 204 wants to build Metea Valley High School on 86.5 acres along Eola and Molitor roads in Aurora, just south of I-88.
Congestion seems like a given.
But district administrators have already considered this. A traffic impact study of the area is under way, said Todd Depaul, project manager for the new school, and officials hope it will provide some answers in the next few weeks.
"We met with DuPage County back in December and laid out our proposed plan at that time," Depaul said.
A consulting firm does the traffic study, which the county then reviews. According to a preliminary site plan, the district wants two access points for Metea, a stoplight at Eola and Molitor roads to help with buses and another access onto Eola further north from the student parking lot.
The study will address the number of cars that currently travel the road and the feasibility of adding stoplights, Depaul said.
The study is required by DuPage County, said Dave Ziesemer, a traffic engineer with DuPage County.
Two high schools on Eola Road
The issue of traffic is not new to District 204. Waubonsie Valley sits at Eola Road and Route 34 in Aurora. After school, a staff member controls a key that allows them to trigger the lights to change more often to help alleviate backups and help the buses get through. They also act as crossing guards and help students who have to cross Ogden Avenue to get to the main campus from the freshmen center after school, Principal Jim Schmid said.
"We have people that assist with keeping things moving steadily," Schmid said. "Most of the time the staff is there to make sure cars stop and recognize there are students crossing."
He said the busiest time of day is about 7:10 a.m., combining the morning rush hour and students arriving for school. Over the years, staff has devoted a significant amount of time to handling the traffic, including a restricted turn lane in and out of the faculty lot onto Eola Road implemented last year. Buses also are brought in a few minutes earlier to avoid the traffic crunch.
Schmid said they work closely with the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Aurora Police Department on how to keep the traffic flowing and are always looking at new solutions.
"I think we do as well as we can," Schmid said.
Metea Valley will be about 4.6 miles north of Waubonsie, but also along Eola Road. Depaul said he didn't think having two high schools along the same road would be a problem. Although they will be dismissed at the same time, students would likely be heading in different directions and not necessarily overlapping.
I-88 interchange
The traffic study also will take into account the possibility of a new interchange off I-88 onto Eola Road. The city of Aurora and DuPage County are splitting the cost of the interchange, which is estimated to cost anywhere between $26 million and $40 million.
The city of Aurora is responsible for purchasing nine parcels of land needed for exit ramps. It completed deals on two of those parcels last year.
New businesses possible
With the addition of Metea Valley, new businesses that cater to high schools could pop up, said Joseph Henning, president and CEO of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce.
This was the case of the strip malls near Neuqua Valley High School that sprung up with businesses catering to the high school crowd, such as fast-food restaurants.
"Where there is opportunity for development, the necessary businesses tend to follow," Henning said. "I see this as being great for District 204 and for the residents of the far east side of Aurora and surrounding communities."
The district is sticking to a tight construction timeline and wants to break ground on Metea in April. It plans to open the school in the fall of 2009 with freshmen and sophomores, with some large items such as the pool and auditorium completed in December '09.
The land, currently owned by St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church and Midwest Generation, will cost about $16.5 million.
When Metea opens, the Waubonsie Valley freshmen center will be converted back into a middle school.
Contact Britt Carson at bcarson@scn1.com or 630-416-5269.
