Officials to consider options for pickup, drop-off of students

A new access road on the south side of Hartselle High School is nearly complete.

The Hartselle Public Works Department and Reed Construction built the 500-foot long, 21-foot wide road to connect the front parking lot and the backside roadway at the school at an estimated cost of $34,021.

Department of Development Director Jeff Johnson said the city partnered with the Hartselle Board of Education to pave the gravel road, which was installed after the school was finished to provide emergency vehicles with access to the south side of the school. It also included curbing and guttering along each side of the road.

Johnson said the project is expected to come in at or just below budget.

School Superintendent Dr. Vic Wilson said he’s pleased with the road.

“It looks fabulous,” Wilson said. “I’d like to thank the city, Jeff Johnson, (Public Works Superintendent) Daxton Maze and Mayor Don Hall for helping us get this project completed.”

Maze said his workers built the base of the road while Reed Contracting Services performed the paving Friday. He said the city will come back and provide striping of the nearly 15 or 16 parking spaces at a later date.

The city must also add fill dirt to level it with the curb of the road.

Johnson said the road is wide enough for one-way traffic and has the proper turning radii for emergency vehicles to make turns.

Hartselle High School Principal Jeff Hyche said the new road will offer them more flexibility for traffic flow to help improve traffic safety on campus.

“It will give us more options of what we may need to do for the pickup and drop-off of students,” Hyche said. “It could help us reduce congestion and improve safety for students.”

Wilson said one option was to change the pickup and drop-off locations to the south side of the school, which could stop students from having to cross roads in front of traffic.

Hyche did not anticipate changing pickup or drop-off procedures before the end of the school year.

Reed Contracting Services paves the access road on the south side of Hartselle High School. | Randy Garrison