The Cullman Police Department has released the temporary traffic plans for Cullman Middle School and Cullman High School in preparation for the upcoming school year, and families dropping students at either school should be aware of changes made due to a city sewer project on Oak Drive NE.

Because of the project, Oak Drive NE will be closed to traffic for the near future, so all middle school drop-offs will be made on 9th Street NE, said CPD Sergeant Joey Duncan.

For Cullman Middle School, drop-offs will be made in both the left and right lanes on 9th Street NE near the school’s gyms. Cars entering from the north and turning left off 2nd Avenue NE will go into the left lane of 9th Street, while cars turning right from 2nd Avenue will go into the right lane.

Duncan said the drop-off area will be clearly marked with cones or barrels, and there will be an administrator gathering students who are dropped off on the left side of the street and walking them across the road as a group to make sure they stay safe while crossing the street. 

CPD Captain Jeff Warnke also recommended that cars dropping students off on the left side of the street have all of the children exit the vehicle on the left-hand side and all cars in the right lane have their children exit on the right-hand side.

“That way we don’t have kids getting out into traffic,” he said. 

After dropping off their students, cars in both lanes of 9th Street will turn left onto 4th Avenue NE to exit the area.

Duncan said the department does not have a timeline for Oak Drive’s reopening, but once the sewer project is complete, that road will be reopened as another path for school traffic.

At Cullman High School, families who are dropping off non-driving students should travel on 12th Street NE to cross 4th Avenue and enter the parking lot next to the school’s main building. After dropping off, cars will then turn onto 13th Street NE, where they can turn left onto Eva Road NE or turn right onto Stadium Drive NE to exit the area.

There will also be a drop-off area for athletes off 4th Avenue NE before the entrance to the parking lot, and a drop-off area for band members off of 13th Street NE near the band building.

As with every new school year, all of the department’s traffic officers will be out around each school for the first two weeks of school to direct traffic in areas that may have congestion issues, and officers will be moved into new areas if there are problems at other intersections, Duncan said.

He said the department has worked with the administration of each school and taken their ideas and suggestions for the best way to direct traffic, and those ideas have been included in this year’s plan to make sure students are as safe as possible when they are being dropped off.

“It was a combined effort between all people involved for the traffic,” he said. “The number one priority for us is the safety of the kids.”

Duncan also asked for everyone to be patient for the beginning of the year while everything is still being worked out and parents are learning the new routes.

Warnke said he would be in the department’s helicopter for the first day or two, and would be able to see any traffic issues that may be occurring, so officers on the ground can make adjustments as needed.