Construction to pose traffic issues at Plum Grove Jr. High

With roadwork around Rolling Meadows' Plum Grove Junior High School behind schedule, school officials have been scrambling the last few weeks to make sure there are no problems for buses, students and parents getting to and from the school.

Walt Doughty, Palatine Township Elementary District 15's transportation chief, said resurfacing work on both Old Plum Grove and Plum Grove roads was scheduled to be finished by the end of this week, but that now won't happen until the middle of January.

For the past few weeks, he's been working with the Cook County Highway Department and Rolling Meadows police to figure out the best way to move buses and other school traffic through the roadwork.

With the help of police, Doughty said access to the school will be limited. During the bus drop-off and pickup times, there'll be 30-minute windows when only buses will be able to exit onto eastbound Plum Grove Road.

Without that 30-minute window, Assistant Superintendent for Administration James Garwood said the buses surely would be delayed in getting their routes finished.

Since those same buses are used to transport elementary students after the junior high routes are finished, Garwood said this had the potential to cause real problems across the district.

"It not only would affect the junior highs," he said. "It would create some real delays for three or four elementary schools."

Parents driving their kids to school will only be able to enter the school's parking lot off Plum Grove Road and from there will have to follow the parking lot circle around to exit back onto southbound Plum Grove.

Garwood said since there are few sidewalks near the school, the district offers bus service to all students.

With that in mind, school officials encourage parents to let put their kids on the bus rather than try to fight through the construction to get to and from school.

"It will probably be a frustrating experience for them," Garwood said of driving to and from the school.

The district has sent a letter to all Plum Grove parents warning them about the construction and shift in drop-off and pickup locations.