Sometime between now and when school resumes in August, there’s going to be some changes along Johnson Avenue with traffic that probably won’t make some in Bridgeport happy. Those involved in planning for the process that will lead to the additional woes, however, are certain the temporary hassle will produce long-term positive results.

 

The often congested section of Johnson Avenue in front of the school complex will soon see the issue become more acute during the construction of the new Johnson Elementary School and the eventual demolition of the existing facility. How the traffic pattern is handled during the construction and how traffic will change once the new building is complete won’t happen by chance.

 

Instead, a committee is working to try and minimize impacts that can’t be avoided. City officials, including Council members Diana Marra and Dustin Vincent and City Engineer Beth Fox along with Board of Education member Frank Devono, Superintendent Dr. Mark Manchin, board office staff, JES officials the architect, a construction management representative and an official from the school building  authority meet on occasion to map out ways to lessen the impact.

 

“There’s always going to be disruptions and some level of confusion with a construction project of that size involving a public school,” said City Manager Kim Haws. “Key people involved are already engaged way ahead of when it will begin to try and minimize the impact.”

 

The group is dealing with two issues. The first is to try and make sure traffic flows as best it can during construction and that children are safe as they will be near a work area. The second thing is to make sure the traffic flow throughout the school campus works no worse – and perhaps better – when the new Johnson Elementary School is built.

 

Currently, the traffic situation is less than desirable during morning and afternoon hours. The morning commute is the worst of the two, according to Marra.

 

“You’ve got close to 2,000 students between the three schools and they do their best to stagger dismissals to help alleviate problems. In the morning, it is worse,” said Marra. “You have parents that have to be at work that dictates when they drop off children and other issues that can’t be helped by staggering a start. Anyone that has kids in the school system or have had kids and dropped them off or picked them up know exactly what I’m talking about.”

 

Marra said the first goal is student safety during construction.

 

“We’re going to make it as user friendly as possible, but first priority is the safety of the children by bus and those being walked to school by parents as well those being driven,” said Marra. “If people have to suffer through a few extra minutes of traffic during this process, remember that we want to keep all the kids safe.

 

“There’s definitely going to be use of part of the existing parking lot that services Johnson Elementary and Wayne Jamison Field during construction and we’ll have to reroute traffic that utilizes that area during the construction phase,” Marra continued. “We’ll also be working with teams and groups that utilize the field. The impacts can’t be avoided, but safety can and will be stressed in every decision.”

 

Anthony Fratto, the assistant superintendent of schools for Harrison County, agreed.

 

“There’s going to be some bits of inconvenience, but there should be what I think will be a great reward at the end,” said Fratto. “We’re working toward a great facility and are going to do it with the safety of the students as top priority.”

 

Safety will be enhanced, if needed, by additional police presence for traffic flow assistance. Haws said the city will “absolutely” provide additional staff as needed during the process.

 

As for the big reward Fratto mentioned, it’s the brand new, multi-million dollar Johnson Elementary School. The goal is still to have the school ready for students by August 1, 2018. And part of the goal is to make sure there is ample parking and a traffic procedure that, as mentioned above, won’t make things worse and perhaps improve during morning and afternoon school hours.

 

 “It’s not an easy task to make the traffic flow flawless because you need a lot of property to do that. There’s no additional land available. You have cars dropping off children and you have to add in the configuration of bus routes, which will make this difficult,” said Haws. “That doesn’t mean it won’t be done the best way possible, but rather it means that getting there isn’t quick and easy.”

 

Fratto said he believes once everything is complete, the traffic situation will be better than what it is now.

 

“I think it will be improved once it’s done. The new student drop off for the new building should help with the backup you see on Johnson Avenue now and that you’ll likely see during construction,” said Fratto.

 

As the process moves forward, Marra said the committee addressing traffic during and after the construction plan on keeping the public informed throughout. She said graphics will be distributed to the community, and there is talk of an animated video that will be produced to show individuals how traffic flow will work.

 

“We’re in a more digital age and we can send information home through emails where we don’t have to worry if the kids get the information to their parents. We can utilize Web sites, like Connect-Bridgeport, to post information as well. We’ll do all we can to have information out there,” said Marra. “In the end, we’re going to have a brand new school for our children in Bridgeport and the traffic component, which we hope will be improved when done, is a small component of a really big picture. I am hopeful everyone can tolerate a bit of inconvenience if it means a better future for our children.”

 

For those worried about parking for sporting events, Fratto said that in 2017 some parking will be eliminated for events and perhaps into 2018. That should improve, however, when the existing Johnson Elementary building is demolished.

 

“That’s the point where additional parking can be added to service the new Johnson Elementary and Wayne Jamison Field,” said Marra. “This is a lengthy process, but one with tremendous reward at the end.”

 

Ediitor's Note: Top and third photo show Officer Jamie Hamrick directing traffic in the afternoon as school is dimissed, while one of the bus pickup points - this one at the current Johnson - onthe school campus is shown in the second photo. Bottom photo shows Assistant Superintendent of Schools Anthony Fratto.