Imagine waking up late for school on the day of a big exam. You run downstairs in a frenzy and jump in the car. On the way to school, however, you come across a big white and orange sign. Other cars are stuck alongside you, and you watch the clock tick as each minute passes by without fail.
The effects of construction around Kalamazoo have made it tough for students to get to school on time. As construction worsens, traffic slowly builds up and delays individuals’ arrival times. The people affected by these delays include students at Loy Norrix.
Junior Paisley Wall-Emerson leaves her house at 6:45 just to get to school on time.
“I have to cross Westnedge, and it is an area that is torn up, so I have to go all the way around just to get to school,” said Wall-Emerson. “It adds a ton of time.”
Wall-Emerson reports that construction affects her life in more ways than just her arrival time to school in the morning.
“I can’t go anywhere,” said Wall-Emerson. “I’m boxed into my neighborhood.”
The roads of Kalamazoo have seen some heavier construction over the past several months due to the process of chip seals and lead pipe replacements. This can make getting to school efficiently in the morning a difficult task. Not only is it a time consumer, but senior Ruby Drzick reports that her vehicle has been damaged due to construction.
“I popped all four of my tires last year due to construction,” Drzick said, “from potholes to nails, all of it.”
Drzick also complains about the delay that traffic causes her.
“It makes me have to leave five to ten minutes earlier,” said Drzick. “I have to go a different way now.”
Although the construction and traffic in Kalamazoo may currently have a negative effect on students’ lives, some students say that the construction has positively impacted their part of town. Multiple roads, such as Whites Road and Kilgore have seen positive changes after construction.
“The roads are super smooth now, so they are really nice and calm to drive on,” said Wall-Emerson.
Mark Worden, the Public Relations Director, and Sarah Phillips, the Communications Administrator at Road Commission of Kalamazoo County, dig into the significance behind the construction, and why it is so important for our community.
“Safety in road construction projects is paramount,” said Worden. “Just last year, 17 people died. These are people traveling on our roadways, and our mission is safety.”
When traveling down a road under construction, it is important to remember why the construction is happening in the first place, and how it will help out the community in the future.
“When you are traveling someplace, give yourself extra time,” said Worden. “Everybody will get to where they need to be, it just might take a little bit longer.”
The State of Michigan also suggests adding time to your drive to ensure your safety and that of others. Their article, Work Zone 101, goes into more detail.
“Construction is just always going to be ongoing in order to maintain these assets,” said Phillips. “There is never going to be a ‘we are done with construction’, but that’s just an important part in maintaining our infrastructure.”
