PHARR — The two schools are brand-new. The roads leading them, on the other hand, are far from it.
With classes at the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo school district set to begin in less than a month, city and school system officials have their work cut out for them as they sort out how to get students to and from the new facilities via roads that are in serious disrepair.
Numerous figurative and literal roadblocks, including weather, construction and legal battles, have prevented the district and the city of Pharr from finishing the infrastructure needed to support the influx of traffic in time for the fall semester.
Southwest High School, a $45 million facility, was built on El Rancho Blanco Road between “I” Road and U.S. 281. Kennedy Middle School, a $21 million facility, was built only a few blocks away on Hall Acres Road between U.S. 281 and Jackson Road.
Among the problems is the main floodway that runs south of both schools. Intended to divert floodwaters, the swollen channel has become a river that is passable via just a single bridge.
Anyone living south of the floodway must use U.S. 281 to travel north, because Jackson and “I” roads have been closed due to flooding. The result is major traffic jams in the area, and the addition of school-related traffic can only make matters worse.
SOUTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL
El Rancho Blanco Road, where the high school’s main entrance is located, currently resembles a dirt road.
PSJA Superintendent Daniel King said the road was torn up as part of a project to widen it to three lanes. The city was to fix the east portion, and the district was to tackle the west.
However, problems with right-of-way acquisition, rain and a delay by several utility companies, including American Electric Power, kept the city from widening its portion in time for the beginning of school on Aug 24.
“It’s a myriad of things that have snowballed on us,” City Manager Fred Sandoval said.
He assured residents that a usable, two-lane road would be in place by the first day of school. The city will use ground-up asphalt to overlay its portion for now, with the intention of eventually tearing it out and widening the road as originally planned.
The district, meanwhile, is widening its portion of the street, but it won’t be ready by Aug 24. King said a contractor will be selected this week. The work is targeted for completion by October, but bidders and the weather will ultimately determine how long it takes to complete the project.
In the interim, the construction will prevent vehicles traveling on U.S. 281 from accessing the school, so parents and buses will be asked to enter campus via “I” Road.
All students attending the new school are eligible for busing, so the district is encouraging parents to use the system to minimize traffic.
KENNEDY MIDDLE SCHOOL
Hall Acres Road, where the main entrance for the new middle school is located, is not only full of potholes but is also partially flooded.
Homes across the street from the building were surrounded by about a foot of water Thursday, and roadblocks were set up to the east and west of the school.
The flooding occurred only because the floodways and drainage systems near the area are at capacity and the water has nowhere to go, King said. Once the floodway clears up, the school should not encounter that type of problem.
If flooding persists, parents will be asked to come in through Jackson Road, because the west side of the school’s entrance does not have as much flooding as the east.
The city had also planned on rebuilding Hall Acres Road, but that didn’t happen.
“We’re a little bit behind on (Hall Acres Road) because of right-of-way acquisition,” said Sandoval, the city manager.
Condemnation — the legal process for the taking of private property — often takes a long time, he said. For now, the city plans to overlay Hall Acres Road once it dries out. That work should be done before the start of the fall semester.