After months of inconvenience, parents have called construction alongside two Racine schools a traffic nightmare that’s now causing one school to cancel school days.
To get their kids to and from school, parents at 21st Century Prep and Acelero Learning have to drive through gravel, which wears out their tires and, in some cases, pops them.
"I almost got stuck because my car sits a little lower to the ground,” mom Tina Phillips said.
Extensive road work on Mound Ave. has been underway since the spring with crews replacing the water main.
School officials told TMJ4 News’ Tahleel Mohieldin off-camera that delays and poor planning have prolonged the pain for parents.
"It’s been a little bit of a nightmare," Scott Tourvielle said when picking his grandson up from school.
The issues have even led 21st Century Prep to cancel class for an extra two days over Thanksgiving break in the hopes of getting the job done faster.
"I wasn't prepared for it. Thank God I have a kid that's a little older that's ok with being at home by herself,” Phillips said. “For the parents who have younger children and have to work the week of Thanksgiving, it proposes a great inconvenience."
Watch: Racine parents frustrated as road construction leads to canceled school days
In a letter to parents 21st Century Prep School’s Interim Executive Director Stacey James said, in part, the following:
By allowing the crew to complete the paving in one uninterrupted sequence, we eliminate the need for partial closures and reduce the overall time required for completion. This also minimizes potential hazards that might arise with vehicles attempting to navigate around the work area. Furthermore, it allows us to continue with our normal dismissal procedures and not interrupt our valuable learning time with early dismissal for weeks on end.
Parents said they’re not yet confident the road will be paved when they return from the break but are hopeful. They also said if the plan is successful the extra days off school would be worth it.
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