Projects are underway at two Center Grove schools to make their parking lots safer for drivers and pedestrians.
A roundabout and additional parking spaces will be added to the Center Grove High School, while improvements to parking at the Middle School North and Pleasant Grove Academy will include a new road to separate parent and bus traffic as well as limiting left turns onto Morgantown Road. The two projects, totaling $2.5 million, have been approved by the Center Grove school board.
The projects are intended to address safety and congestion issues in both parking lots, assistant superintendent Bill Long said.
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Minor work on the projects has begun already, and will pickup once classes end at the beginning of June. Work is expected to be complete by the end of July, he said.
The student parking lots at the high school, which have room for about 815 vehicles, are full with a waiting list, which can be lengthy especially in the spring when sophomores become old enough to drive, he said.
A new parking lot with room for 150 vehicles will be built south of Stones Crossing Road and east of the current parking lots on land already owned by the school district, Long said.
A roundabout is also planned at the intersection of Trojan Lane and Victory Drive to improve traffic flow through the current and planned parking lots as well and make the area safer for drivers, Long said.
“It is not unlike the other roundabouts in Johnson County,” Long said. “It is safer, more efficient and lets traffic flow better without having to post a police officer there to control traffic.”
Victory Drive will also be turned into a one-way street, making the road safer for drivers to navigate and for pedestrians to cross, Long said.
These parking improvements follow a $3 million project in 2016 which included reconfiguring the visitor parking lot to double the number of spaces as well as re-aligning Trojan Lane to make the road safer for buses to navigate.
At Center Grove Middle School North and Pleasant Grove Elementary School, parking lot improvements will allow buses to be separated from parents dropping off and picking up their children, making that process safer and more efficient, Long said.
One new road will connect the parking lots of both schools, while another will be added to better direct traffic, he said.
Drivers will also be prevented from making a left turn onto Morgantown Road from the south exit from the middle school parking lot. Hills on the road make that a dangerous area for drivers to attempt a left turn, Long said.
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Center Grove High school
Cost: $1.2 million
Details: A roundabout will be built at the intersection of Trojan Lane and Victory Drive. A parking lot with 150 spaces will be built south of Stones Crossing Road and east of the current parking lots. Victory Drive will be turned into a one-way street.
Center Grove Middle School North and Pleasant Grove Elementary School
Cost: $1.3 million
Project details: Two interior roads will be added to better direct traffic and separate buses from other vehicles. The south exit onto Morgantown Road will be reworked to prevent left hand turns while leaving the school.
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