Construction crews are working on a busy stretch of road in Kettering that is slowing down traffic around a pair of schools.
Crews are replacing a water main and then resurfacing the part of Shroyer Road near Orchard Park Elementary School and Fairmont High School.
Work started about a week ago, and it is expected to continue for the next three to four weeks, weather permitting.
Christine Ledbetter, a Kettering resident who lives near the construction, said she’s already tired of the construction.
“With kids, it’s hard,” Ledbetter said. “You gotta go in and out, and they keep blocking the driveway.”
The work isn’t just affecting drivers. With sidewalks closed, it’s also affecting pedestrians.
“The kids that walk have to go all the way around and there’s a lot of trucks, so it’s hard to see them,” Ledbetter said.
Construction workers also are having problems.
Mark Haffner had a tire go down on Thursday. Getting the tire fixed required Haffner to give the repairman specific directions.
“In a situation like this, all the traffic and driving around trying to get to the right spot,” Haffner said.
Traffic on Shroyer is limited to one lane each way between the north edge of the high school and Dorothy Lane while the project is ongoing, with southbound traffic shifting to the northbound side.
Traffic also will be affected on the side streets north of Fairmont, as there will be no left-turn or straight-across options from those streets at Shroyer.
“It’s worth it in the long run,” Ledbetter said. “Just give yourself a little extra time.”
During high-volume time periods — in particular, during dismissal time at the high school — the county has flaggers in place to assist with traffic flow and getting the buses out of the north lot at Fairmont High School as efficiently as possible.
The project is part of a larger effort in the same area that will include gas main replacements and the paving of Shroyer in 2017 from Stroop Road north to the Oakwood border.