Charlotte County schools urge patience as back-to-school traffic jams hit Harborview Road

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (WINK) — Parents and neighbors near Deep Creek Elementary are dealing with significant traffic jams during school pickup on busy Harborview Road.

Lorren Cornelius has lived in the Deep Creek and Harbor Heights area for years. He dreads back-to-school season because of the traffic congestion.

"Fix the side of the road. Give a lane to be able to go around this mess," Cornelius said.

Cornelius isn't alone with his feelings. Parents also prepare themselves for whatever the pickup line may look like every afternoon.

"In the last two days, I saw the activity of there being a lot more traffic, and it stretches past that light over there, and it goes all the way past the curve into 75, and it stretches on both sides," said Jordan Ross, a parent at Deep Creek Elementary.

Ross lines up as early as 2 p.m. to get her kid from school, with dismissal not until closer to 3 p.m. Neighbors and parents have been using a ditch to get around traffic, but that is neither convenient nor sustainable for them and their vehicles.

"It's coming from both directions and backed up, and it's gonna get impossible. They're gonna have to figure this out," Ross said.

Charlotte County Public Schools acknowledged that the first week can be a learning curve for everyone when it comes to parent pickup. The district sent a map of how traffic is directed for families so that pickup can go as smoothly as possible.

Ross is holding out hope but said she wants to see real progress sooner rather than later.

"I'm just pacing myself because I feel like this is going to be a problem. They're going to have to change whether it's the parking lot or method or when they open up the gate, what time they open it up, because they are having the flow come out either way, and that's going to be a problem," Ross said.

Charlotte County Public Schools urged parents and neighbors to have patience while they figure out the kinks, and also be mindful of school arrival and dismissal times. School starts at 8:20 a.m. and dismisses at 2:50 p.m.