NILES Traffic flow changed for buses
Temporary traffic pattern changes take effect Friday.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NILES -- School district officials aren't the only ones getting ready for the onslaught of pupils and buses.
So is the city.
With the opening of the new Niles Middle School next week and work continuing on the South Main Street viaduct, changes were needed to make traffic flow as smooth as possible, city engineer Mark Hess said.
Work on the viaduct began last year and is expected to be completed in October.
The northbound side of the bridge, which connects downtown to the south side, is finished, and work continues on the southbound lanes.
The viaduct replacement project forced the city to close access to Second Street.
Problem
The problem, Hess said, is that when the school was designed and built, it was determined buses would arrive by Second Street.
"For now, it's going to have to be Third Street they use," he said.
Workers are spending the week wiring and setting the timing patterns for street lights on South Main Street at Second and Third streets.
Another change, Hess said, is the way traffic will turn at Third and South Main.
Southbound traffic on Main uses the left lane to continue straight or to turn left, while the right lane turns right onto Third.
With the new light and traffic flow, Hess said, the left lane will be a turning lane, and through traffic and vehicles making right turns will use the right lane.
"The signal will be set up so that people can make a protected left turn," Hess said.
The changes take effect Friday and remain that way until work on the viaduct is complete.
Classes at Niles Middle School begin Wednesday for sixth-grade pupils, Thursday for seventh-graders and Friday for eighth-graders.
slshaulis@vindy.com