Work zones can be difficult for drivers to navigate, especially student drivers. Chapel Hill High School students who drive may find themselves having to navigate dangerous roadwork while driving to or from school or getting to after-school jobs or extracurricular activities.
There are multiple construction projects currently going on in Chapel Hill, the most extensive of which is occurring on Estes Drive, where Philips Middle School and Estes Hill Elementary School are located. Students have reported the roadwork in the town has been an inconvenience, adding time to their daily commutes.
Alex Carrasquillo, public information officer for the Town of Chapel Hill, said the project will create additional bike lanes and sidewalks for residents. “The new design aims to allow all drivers to safely share the road with everyone else moving through the area,“ he said.
Estes Drive is the most direct way to get from Chapel Hill High School to the Chapel Hill public library, Fordham Road, and many students’ homes; however, the construction has made Estes Drive a one-way road, necessitating detours.
Junior Elea Haskell frequently navigates Estes Drive to get from school to her ballet studio on Franklin Street; the construction has added time to her commute.
“The best way to get there is going down Estes,” Haskell said. “The construction on Estes slows me down getting there.”
Other students also expressed that they have had to change their route due to the closure on Estes, making their drive home even longer.
Senior David Mirikwe said that he has to face construction regularly “especially when [he wants] to go to the gym or library.”
Another current construction project is underway on Homestead Road, in between Seawell School Road and Weaver Dairy Road Extension. Chapel Hill High School is off of Seawell School Road, creating an unavoidable challenge for many students.
Senior Eli Baker has experienced these challenges himself, as he has to drive through the roadwork every day in order to get to school. “I’ve been late multiple days due to being stuck at the construction stops for eight minutes [or more],” he said, adding that he is unable to change his route to avoid construction without adding a significant amount of travel time.
Senior Josh Kelley had to change his route in order to avoid being late to his first-period class.
“There has been a lot of traffic by Homestead Road, and, because of that, I have had to start leaving sooner and adjusting my schedule in order to be to my first period on time,” he said. “I was late to AP Calculus once because of the lines for construction, but I made sure to adjust my schedule because [math teacher] Mr. Cooper isn’t a big fan of people being late.”
Junior Jordi Moore said that the construction is a challenge at times, with the biggest problem being the additional travel time. She explained that a “five-minute trip” across town has taken her up to 18 minutes because of a detour.
The construction has also made it more difficult for seniors who want to eat lunch off campus. Senior Sarah Zwaryczuk said that lunch can be really stressful sometimes. “If you get caught in the line, it can take up to ten minutes to get through, and, if you spend that much time, it can make you late to class,” she said.
Students aren’t the only ones being impacted by the construction. Though social studies teacher Anne Beichner doesn’t drive through the road construction zones every day, she said she, too, has faced delays driving around town. “I was trying to go to Staples the other day, [and it] took 20 extra minutes, [which was] very annoying,” Beichner said.
Work zones pose greater dangers to motorists according to the Federal Highway Administration, and teen drivers are much more likely to get into an accident than experienced drivers. Teens are also more likely to underestimate dangerous situations and “make critical errors that can lead to serious crashes,” according to the Center for Disease Control.
Carrasquillo, however, said that there have not been any major safety concerns involving the roadwork. He said that traffic has actually slowed down, “which actually makes conditions safer for community members and construction workers moving through the area.”
