Traffic along South Rice Avenue has been temporarily rerouted due to the street’s ongoing waterline construction, resulting in changes to the student pick-up process at Condit Elementary School.
What you need to know
On Aug. 7, Bellaire officials announced via Facebook that enforcement of Condit Elementary’s new, temporary traffic pick-up plan would begin Aug. 10.
The plan aims to prioritize student safety during peak traffic times while also maintaining efficient traffic flow as drivers in the area become acclimated to these changes, per announcement details.
For parents and guardians picking up students at the school, the traffic plan outlines that:
- There will be no line-up along South Rice Avenue south of Jessamine Street
- Individuals picking up students in grades 2-5 must line up and keep right on Jessamine Street using the main line by the Interstate-610 feeder
- Individuals picking up students in pre-K through first grade will proceed as normal on South Third Street. However, no turns are allowed onto Jessamine Street from this road
These detours related to student pick-up at Condit Elementary will be in effect from approximately 2:50-3:15 p.m. during school hours, Bellaire Community Relations Administrator Cheryl Bright said.
Some context
The City of Bellaire proceeded with the first stages of construction for its Priority Waterline Replacement Project in mid-July.
The $5 million project involves replacing aging and undersized water distribution mains to improve the system’s overall reliability, water quality and fire flow capacity, according to the city’s capital improvement plan.
Keep in mind
With the ongoing waterline construction first focusing on the portion of South Rice Avenue that exists between Jessamine Street and Pine Street, residents can expect the work to progress onto surrounding side streets as the project continues. The project’s current status online indicates that the next phase of construction is set to take place on Evergreen Street.
Until then, Bright said that affected parents, guardians and drivers can expect to follow Condit Elementary’s temporary traffic pick-up plan for the next 1-2 weeks.
