The additional improvements at Exit 91 include new exit and entrance lanes to I-26. Most recently, the two lanes of traffic have been expanded to include 4 lanes of traffic–with a dedicated lane for traffic entering the highway heading toward Columbia. The changes seem to happen overnight.
“ I swear there were not two lanes yesterday but today there was,” said math teacher Mrs. Lopez.
“You always have to prepare for something new everyday,” said Mrs. Mayes.
There were some positive thoughts about the lanes leading toward the exit.
“It used to be a pain, but it’s more tolerable since they have paved it. It’s still annoying but a lot less chaotic,” said English Mrs Kimberlin.
Students, teachers and staff at Chapin High have gone through months of construction including days of flagmen stopping traffic as lanes have been paved near Exit 91.
“I think it reduces traffic when I drive to CATE,” said junior Bergen Leon.
But on the whole, it seems that drivers find the additional lanes, initially confusing.
“It is very confusing and I almost got in a car crash because no one would let me switch lanes. There are a lot of potholes and the roads are rough,” said sophomore Emma Vermeer.
“It’s just so confusing, and it made traffic so much worse,” said senior Haleigh Sox.
And the thoughts about the ongoing construction at the Peak Exit 97 almost seem to be the same. The exit at 97, unlike the Chapin Exit 91 is going to be a diverging diamond. The traffic makes a criss-cross pattern over the interstate. However, the construction is still ongoing. A lot of the comments about the construction have not been positive.
“It is not efficient and I cannot tell where I am going,” said senior Seabrook Polk.
It is terrible, it is horrible,” said senior Josie Frick.
“It’s confusing and worse than before,” said senior John Rossi.
“There’s always construction near my house and the roads are all backed up and it takes forever to get home because of it and because they were paving the roads. On exit 97 the roads are so bad and the stop lights take forever,’ said sophomore Annakiah Becker
Math teacher Mr. Zipp said, “Maybe it will be better when they finish.”
Contributing to this report: Yara Abusamra, Bree Andrews, Kendall Brown, Ella Keenan, Grace Linder, Zoe Linder, Caroline Phillips, Lilianna Puffer, William Robinson, Macey Smith, McCartney Smith,
