FARGO - Thanks to beautiful weather and a dose of patience all around, students, teachers and parents-turned-chauffeurs all appeared to make the morning commute to Davies High School safely this morning.
Driving to the school - restricted to one lane each way on 25th Street South - was slow on what is the first day of school for Fargo and West Fargo public schools.
Heading to Davies, heavy construction equipment vied for the limited space between orange pylons with school buses, minivans and SUVs from just south of Shanley High School to 70th Avenue South, on the north side of Davies.
A steady line of vehicles snaked at least from 64th Avenue South to 70th Avenue South, where they turned for the parking lots and drop-off points.
"It was terrible," Rene Aragon said after taking 20 to 25 minutes to deliver his son to the school through the construction zone.
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"Traffic was awful," said junior Emily Herman, who ended up behind a slow driver. "The speed limit is 25. Drive it, please!"
"Trying to get in here was a nightmare," agreed junior Kristy Brandt, who said she was disappointed that work crews hadn't wrapped up work on the roads into Davies.
"I honestly thought, 'New school. They'll have it done for us,' " she said.
Walking wasn't a good alternative, either, with crews still pouring concrete for bike paths and walkways.
"The worst part is trying to walk between cars. Or, maybe that was the best part," said junior Matt Lorenz, who hopped and jumped through mud, dirt, sand and concrete pouring forms to make it to school from his house near 64th Avenue South.
"We're not walking again," declared Jacob Eddy.
While the traffic was steady at Davies, it was orderly.
Other construction and school sites around the metro saw just as much congestion.
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For example, at Centennial Elementary School at 40th Avenue South and 25th Street, traffic was slow and go and backed up at times as parents tried to drop off younger children, and buses tried to negotiate tight turns past morning commuters to get to Discovery Middle School.
Police Lt. Joel Vettel said that area may see congestion until construction work on South University Drive is completed, due to the diversion of traffic to 25th Street.
