In the interest of safety for the Cornbelt Fire Department, the Village of Mahomet and students, Sangamon Elementary will change their drop-off and pick-up process effective Tuesday, May 2.
During morning drop-off and evening pick-up, parents wait in a long line along Main Street, making the right lane impassable.
“This has been an ongoing issue for quite a few years,” said Superintendent Rick Johnston. “The Cornbelt looks at it as a safety issue, for the Village it’s a major inconvenience, and there are safety issues as well when you have that kind of traffic stacked downtown.”
Seven months ago, the Village of Mahomet, Mahomet Police Department, and Mahomet-Seymour administrators started to discuss and plan rerouting traffic from Main Street.
The group decided to try a pilot program during a two-week period at the end of this school year to see how it works.
Vehicles will no longer be allowed to line up on Main Street. The Illinois Department of Transportation has also requested that vehicles do not crowd Illinois Route 47 during afternoon pick-up.
Johnston, Transportation Director, Tim Crawford and Sangamon Principal, Mark Cabutti walked the roads around the school several times, envisioning how they could alleviate the problem that has been talked about in years past.
Cabutti said that the logistics won’t change, just the staging area for the cars to wait is what will change. From 7:45-8:30 a.m. and 2:30-3:15 p.m., Jefferson and Union Streets will become a one-way going north for buses and parents to wait for students.
Cars will line-up on the left, so that buses can get through on the right.
The Village will split the street with a heavy-duty tape until the end of the school year. If the plan continues next school year, a permanent line will be painted on Jefferson and Union Streets.
School officials have talked to the residents along Jefferson Street, and don’t feel the new plan will affect them too much.
Educating the public, particularly the parents of students at Sangamon is the focus of community officials right now. Cabutti sent out two email blasts to parents this week. He will also use the School Reach program to call parents on Monday night, reminding them of the Tuesday morning change.
They have also purchased one-way, do not enter, and right turn only signs. A Sangamon custodian loosed bolts so they can change some old signs around by Tuesday morning.
The Mahomet Police Department will also have officers at the corners of Main Street and Elm Street, Jefferson Street and Union Street, and Main Street and Jefferson Street in both the morning and afternoon until the public adjusts to the changes.
“If this works, then we will start educating parents about the traffic patterns at Back-to-School night,” Cabutti said. “I think these next two weeks will be very critical to set the tone and expectations.”
“This is a pilot program,” Johnston said. “You plan the best you can, you implement, you evaluate, you see what works and what doesn’t, and then we move forward from there.”
Morning Drop-Off
Vehicles will not be allowed to wait on Main St. west of the intersection of Main Street and Jefferson Street.
Vehicles must approach Sangamon on Union Street from the west or on Jefferson Street from the south. Union Street will be one-way toward the east and Jefferson Street will be one-way toward the north from 7:45-8:30 a.m. to help with the traffic flow. Parents will use the left lane and buses will use the right lane on Union Street and Jefferson Street next to the cemetery.
When vehicles reach the corner of Jefferson Street and Main Street, they will turn right (east) and drop off in front of the school similar to our current procedures. Vehicles should pull all the way forward so other cars can enter the drop off lane as well.
Afternoon pick-up
First grade parents will follow the same procedures as morning drop off with this exception: In the afternoon, first grade parents must approach Sangamon School only from the west on Union St. before they turn north on Jefferson Strett next to the cemetery. Union Street and Jefferson Street will once again be one-way streets from 2:30-3:15 p.m.
Second grade parents will now enter the pick-up lane behind Sangamon School adjacent to the Mobil Super Pantry from Jefferson Street from the south and will travel in the opposite direction (east) in the pick-up lane as has been past practice.
It is important that second grade parents wait to turn right at the stop sign located at the corner of Jefferson Street and Union Strett until their vehicle can entirely enter the back pick-up lane. It is critical that this small portion of Jefferson Street remain clear for buses to get through. Also, drivers will need to yield to any buses that might be approaching at this intersection.
Second grade parents must turn right (south) when exiting the east parking lot onto Route 47 after picking up their child(ren) to avoid a long back up of cars.
Administrators are still encouraging parents to park in the provided lots by the Community Center and Mobil Super Pantry if they wish to walk to pick-up their child.
*Please note that second grade parents who are parking in the Mobil Super Pantry parking lot and are having their children walk across the pick-up lane will STILL have this option under the new plan.
