Beaumont School Traffic: Superintendent's View

The top school administrator in Beaumont spent a busy day Tuesday, visiting multiple schools and keeping an eye on traffic, like so many others.

"I was out this morning and up by Brookside and the high school, and traffic at Brookside was extremely heavy," said Barry Kayrell, superintendent of Beaumont Unified School District. "We appreciate the multi-agency attention to this."

Police, city and multiple school officials were on hand Tuesday morning to observe traffic flow near Beaumont schools, and to underscore their concern for students' safety.

"When you have 80 to 90 percent of parents driving to drop their kids off it's going to create traffic," Kayrell said. "We do have some physical limitations at some school sites.

"But we've worked closely with the police department and fire department to try to create safe exit and entry to the schools," Kayrell said.

The district ended bus service for middle and high school students two years ago, but it continues to offer bus service for kindergarten through fifth grade students, Kayrell said.

"This is our third year not transporting middle and high school students," Kayrell said.

"Hopefully as the school year progresses, some of the problems will alleviate. We know how hectic the first days of any school year can be for students and parents."

Tuesday was the first day of the new school year for Beaumont schools.

Just after 7 a.m. Tuesday at Brookside and Beaumont avenues, traffic backed up a quarter-mile to a half-mile in some directions. Extra police officers on motorcycles and in patrol cars ensured a visible law enforcement presence, and most motorists obeyed the law.

A stadium project and improvements on Brookside scheduled to begin later this school year will alleviate some of the traffic issues, but the project itself could take eight to nine months to complete, Kayrell said.

"We're working closely with the city on this, as we do on so many levels," Kayrell said. "We are partnering with the city all the time, and this stadium project is just one example."

Long-term, Kayrelll said he hopes the city of Beaumont will make the widening of Beaumont Avenue a priority.

"The widening of Beaumont is long overdue," Kayrell said. "The city's doubled in size and Beaumont Avenue is still what it is.

"It's a major north-south artery and I'm sure there are multiple agencies in Beaumont who agree, it needs to be wider," Kayrell said.