Dad warns of safety risks as students face unfinished crosswalk on first day of school
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A metro father is worried about his daughter walking home from school. Her route goes through a busy stretch of road that has been under construction for months, and he says the crosswalks aren’t working, with school starting tomorrow.
"Here we are, one day away from it, and we don't even have a crosswalk for these kids," said Mike Jacobs.
Jacobs’ daughter walks home from Putnam City North High School. Like many students, she takes James Dennis Drive, crosses Hefner Road, and heads into their neighborhood. The route is too close for a bus stop.
"It's just a busy, congested intersection," Jacobs said.
The city said the project will add an additional lane, new traffic signals, pedestrian buttons, and ADA-compliant ramps.
Jacobs noticed construction moving along in May.
"Pretty consistent for the first month, but they haven't been out here for at least three weeks to a month doing anything on the road," he said.
According to the city’s Facebook page, delays have been ongoing since March after crews discovered a private utility line that needed to be moved. City officials would not tell News 4 the company’s name, but said the line should be moved within a couple of days.
However, they warned it could still take a couple of months to complete the work.
Meanwhile, Jacobs’ daughter returns to school on Wednesday.
"The least they need to do is put up the cross signals," he said. "They aren't going to be able to know when to even go."
Crosswalks need power to function. Jacobs and other parents fear the worst if progress doesn’t pick up.
"Scared that I might get a call one day that your kid's been injured trying to get home from school," Jacobs said.