Brandon Twp. A quarter-mile long traffic backup along M-15 is not uncommon for those dropping off or picking up students at Brandon Middle School during school days.
A combination of business traffic, commuters and school traffic converge around one entrance to the school, causing an entanglement that has drawn the ire of parents and others who maneuver the daily gauntlet.
But help is on the way.
One of the first major construction projects, after voters in the Brandon School District approved a bond extension netting about $73.4 million, is set to begin in the next few days to help alleviate the congestion? a combination of a new drop off location on the south side of the school and a new exit to the north of the middle school adjacent to Brandon Tire Company. The board approved about $200,000 in site work and engineering fees for the project which should be completed by the end of October.
Barb Lovell, architect for Rochester-based French Associates, says residents will start seeing progress within a few days.
‘We’re confident that once parents learn how to use the new exit and loop, the traffic issues will subside,? said Lovell.