Construction of Lexington’s next high school resumed Thursday after city planners and the school district reached agreement on a plan to mitigate traffic backups near the school.
Concerns about the flow of vehicles along Winchester Road and Sir Barton Way had left planners hesitant to sign on to a review granting the district permission to move forward with construction. Officials feared the turn lane from Sir Barton onto a proposed access road feeding into the school would jam up during peak hours.
That reluctance led the city to issue a stop-order, halting major construction at the site.
But city planning commissioner Derek Paulsen says the latest agreement reached by the parties would double the number of cars allowed to line up in the lane.
"We know it's not going to be perfect," he acknowledges. "This is a very busy part of Lexington, particularly at pick up and drop off time, but everything we can do to try to minimize it as much as possible and to improve the safety aspects of it is what we're really after."
In addition, planners will continue exploring options to streamline access to the school’s main Winchester Road entrance. But for now, the permitting process is back on track.
About 1,800 students are expected to begin attending classes as the school in fall 2017.
