Columbia traffic will be impacted by MU and CPS students returning
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia Public Schools and University of Missouri students will return to the classroom Tuesday, meaning traffic in and around Columbia will pick up.
CPS elementary students will return to school in-person four days per week, and middle and high school students will return two days per week.
MU students were already moving in Monday evening. Cars lined roads on campus with their flashers on while students unpacked.
Kyle Green with the Missouri State Highway Patrol said on Monday troopers were patrolling I-70 and U.S. 63 more frequently in anticipation of MU students returning.
"With the students coming back, travelers should see an increase in traffic through about 10:00 p.m. tonight and then it will taper off," Green said in a statement.
Green said for people within city limits, drivers should be on the lookout for students standing near the road waiting for buses or walking to school.
Brad Fraizer with the Columbia Fire Department said the department is not bringing on additional staff but does anticipate increased traffic. He said the department is staffed appropriately for students' return.
Columbia Public Schools sent out information about drop off and pickup to parents.
"We’ll have staff helping with drop off. We do that every day - morning and afternoon. Schools have communicated drop off and pick up information to families. All families received information from the district as well last week," said CPS Spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark.
Even though traffic will increase across Columbia, some areas may see more than others. Scott Halterman is a parent of a student at Mill Creek Elementary School. He said when students were learning in-person before going online, the roundabout near the school would get backed up.
"If you can go a different route, that would be better. It would lighten up traffic quite a bit," Halterman said.
He said when school was in session before it would take him about 15 or 20 minutes to drop his son off. He lives just a few miles from the school.
Halterman said even though traffic would get backed up, he said he thinks people have adjusted and CPS staff did a really good job of working to fix the issue.
"I think they actually opened schools earlier, like five or 10 minutes earlier so kids could get in, so then the traffic flow was actually moving instead of at a standstill waiting for the kids to be able to get into the school," he said.
