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The new school year is just days away for students in Pella, and parents dropping off or picking up their children from Jefferson Intermediate School will notice a change this fall. Additional concrete has been poured on the north side of the building to create turning lanes going right and left onto Vermeer Road as vehicles leave the school.

Pella Schools Superintendent Mark Wittmer says hopes are that the additional turning lane will keep traffic flowing and prevent long lines of vehicles from forming before and after school.

“We know that’s been somewhat of a hang-up for people. If somebody runs into a bunch of traffic going one way and they can’t get across, it backs up everybody,” said Wittmer. “The turning lane should help some of that, and we’d like to think that if we could keep another two, three or four cars moving that it keeps the line moving and we won’t have people backed up onto 13th Street. We’ll see whether or not that takes place.”

Wittmer adds that while the new system may take some getting used to, he thinks parents and guardians will quickly adjust to the changes at Jefferson Intermediate.