At Monday night’s Bridgeport City Council meeting, Police Chief John Walker spoke about the Johnson Elementary School traffic pattern, which – in light of construction of a new elementary school - has been strategically discussed by police, school and Harrison County Board of Education officials.

 

“Council has put a lot of work into this (construction) project and it has been moving rapidly in the last two to three weeks,” Walker said. “The parking lot has been paved as promised and can be utilized at the beginning of school.”

 

The current traffic pattern set forth by the Board of Education has vehicles coming off Johnson Avenue by City Park Drive, located between Johnson Elementary and Bridgeport High School.

 

At the intersection, parents dropping off Johnson Elementary students will turn right, thereby utilizing two lanes which have been freshly painted and marked.

 

“The right lane is for those dropping off children and continuing on,” Walker said. “And the left lane is for those who will be parking.”

 

Lines mark the safe area for students to exit cars. Students are to exit cars from the right side, walk along the designated area and enter the school’s front doors. Parents will drive forward and exit onto Johnson Avenue.

 

Parents who choose to park - and thereafter walk students across crosswalk and to the front doors of the school - will then return to their cars and follow the exit arrows onto Johnson Avenue.

 

Police officers will be on site, instructing motorists and two electronic signs are located near Johnson Elementary, indicating where to enter.

 

“There’s going to be a lot of excitement and the signs will be somewhat effective,” Walker said. “We’ll be directing folks to get everyone in safely.”

 

He anticipates that, especially during the first few days of school, vehicles will begin arriving around 7 a.m.

 

“I think parents aren’t sure (about the traffic situation) so some will be leaving early to try to beat the traffic,” Walker said. “We always encourage parents to have their children ride the (school) bus, but that doesn’t seem to be a popular idea. It would help with the traffic – at least at the beginning of school – for children to ride the bus.”

 

Bus schedules will remain the same. Buses arriving and departing Johnson Elementary will enter down the bus lane and exit using City Park Drive. Only school buses can access the bus lane.

 

Johnson Elementary faculty and staff will park in the gravel lot adjacent to the football field visitors’ side ticket booth (located behind the school). The lot is reserved for faculty and staff only.

 

With regard to student pick-up, all student walkers are to be picked up from the Johnson Elementary parking lot via City Park Drive.

 

Parents are encouraged to be familiar with the traffic pattern.

 

An illustration is located below.

 

There is no change to traffic patterns for Bridgeport Middle School or Bridgeport High School.