SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – An Upstate school district is giving parents a heads up about a new road project which could impact traffic for students and parents.
Spartanburg School District 3 leaders said they were notified about South Carolina Department of Transportation road resurfacing improvements along Clifton Glendale Road that could start soon.
“Clifton Glendale is a major road in our area,” said district spokesperson Aly Myles. “It can affect people coming from Pacolet, Cowpens, Clifdale, and Broome.”
Myles said the district was told the DOT would resurface a stretch of the road from the traffic circle to Highway 176. She said they were also told the road would be down to one lane for six to eight weeks during construction.
“Since we’re giving our families a heads up, we’re hoping they’ll take one of those secondary roads to try to avoid that area,” said Myles.
For students and parents in the district, the project could affect commutes, primarily in the afternoon when school is released.
“We’ve been told by SCDOT that it will begin after 8 a.m. each day, so it will hopefully not affect their morning commute,” said Myles.
Myles said they do not expect road work to affect student tardiness, since work will begin after the school day starts. Still, they encourage parents and drivers to take detours, if they can. Myles said lane closures could affect buses too.
“Our buses will do their best to reroute so they’re not coming through that area if possible. However, if your students are being dropped off a little later than usual, there is a reason why,” said Myles.
Myles said this is a DOT project and is out of the district’s hands, but hopes parents and families are patient as work starts up.
“We are trying to do our best to get that message out to parents to help alleviate any issues and hopefully everyone can understand we’re likely to see some traffic,” said Myles.
Myles also said while the project can cause some inconveniences for district families, it will be an exciting improvement to a busy road in the area.
The district was informed that work could start as early as Saturday, October 1, but said work has not started yet.
7News reached out to the Department of Transportation to learn more about the scope of the project, a timeline, and what drivers can expect, but did not hear back.