CHILDERSBURG, Ala. – The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) has denied Childersburg city officials an attempt to add a traffic light on Highway 280 near A.H. Watwood Elementary School.
Traffic on Highway 280 has increased on a routine basis over the last few years, and the dangers that come with that have sparked concern for the city council and the police department.
The major issue for both is the arrival and departure of school buses in the morning and afternoon throughout the week. The turn area onto Limbaugh Ave. where the school is located has already been marked off as a school zone.
As of now the decision to request a new light is only a safety precaution, but for Childersburg Police Chief Richard McClelland the nightmare of what might happen could become a reality.
“Have we had a fatality here? Not yet,” McClelland expressed. “It’s not a matter of if but when, and that’s what we’re trying to prevent.”
In order to combat the traffic issues, McClelland has incorporated using officers to halt both east and westbound traffic on 280 during the times of shuttling kids to and from their homes.
ALDOT determines what state roads are in need of additional traffic lights, and the agency has decided for the time being that the measure to put a light there is not necessary.
Extensive road work is scheduled for that portion of Highway 280 throughout the year until October, and according to ALDOT the improvements already planned should rectify the situation.
“I don’t ever try to go across,” said Childersburg resident Regina Leonard, “because that’s like double jeopardy. For the bus drivers, I imagine [this intersection] is one of their greatest concerns. They have to worry about all the kids.”
However, until that work is completed, Childersburg city officials and community members’ fears of the worst will not be allayed.
