A charter school in Georgetown said it is working with city and county leaders to make crossing the street safer for its students after recent construction nearby changed traffic patterns.
Gateway College Preparatory School is right next to the intersection of Westinghouse Road and Higgins Road.
Construction on the part of Westinghouse Road that runs directly in front of the school wrapped up this week.
Williamson County is currently widening parts of the road through 2024 to accommodate more cars.
Adam Price with Gateway said the widening project has made it much easier for commuters to avoid getting caught in the school’s drop off and pick up line.
The school now has it’s own turning lane, before parents waiting to drop off had to wait on Westinghouse Road itself – further backing up traffic.
Another change made to the intersection included making it thru-traffic only.
Price said before the recent changes a stop sign was in place which slowed cars down before they reached the school.
Parents reached out to KXAN.com via our ReportIt! tip line about their concerns for students that walk to school.
Parents that wrote in said they want a school zone set up, crosswalk, or pedestrian stoplight set up at the school.
Price said the school has no jurisdiction over the road and it does not meet the criteria that warrants a school zone designation.
“What we have been told is you have to have a certain percentage of students who are walkers for you to get a school zone. We’re nowhere close to having that number,” Price said.
Price said only eight out of the schools’ 1,500 students walk to school.
Williamson County said because the City of Georgetown will take over maintenance of the road once it’s complete, the responsibility to put in a school zone or pedestrian stoplight would fall to it.
KXAN.com reached out to the City of Georgetown to validate this information but has not yet heard back. Price said the school is currently working with county and city leaders to try and have a dedicated crosswalk painted at the intersection.
Source: K Xan
