Address potential traffic problems

To the editor:

Enthusiasm and excitement was displayed at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new North Liberty high school. However, for those who will attend the school and the parents who will be sending their students, a word of caution. Have you thought about how you or your student will travel to the school?

The school will be located in a rural setting at the intersection of Dubuque Street and North Liberty Road. Dubuque Street is a narrow, winding two lane road that traverses from Iowa City to North Liberty. Coralville First Avenue, which turns into North Liberty Road is equally curvy, and on the west side of the school is a gravel road.

The school is targeted to open in 2017 with about 1,000 students. My concern is that with the school setting in a rural environment almost all of the 1,000 students and additional faculty and staff will be accessing the facility by means of cars, buses and motor bikes, from the above mentioned two roads. Can you imagine this traffic added to heavily loaded existing feeder roads with people traveling from North Liberty to Iowa City? Accidents are just waiting to happen.

This issue has been presented to the Iowa City school district, Coralville Council, North Liberty Council and Johnson County Board of Supervisors. We have seen little or no effort or planning for what will happen with this influx of traffic.

Students and parents, contact your governing representative and implore them to provide a solution before something tragic happens.

Stan Podhajsky

North Liberty