Pike Road Schools (PRS) will conduct a needed traffic study on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, to evaluate afternoon dismissal procedures and identify ways to improve traffic flow and safety around campus. The study will take place during the afternoon dismissal window from 3 to 4 p.m.
The effort is aimed at enhancing safety for students, parents, bus drivers, and all motorists who travel through the area—particularly at the intersections of Pike Road and Georgia Washington, Pike Road and U.S. Highway 80 (Hwy 80), and Pike Road and Vaughn Road. PRS officials also stated that they are collaborating with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to conduct a concurrent study at the intersection of Pike Road and Vaughn Road.
PRS Deputy Superintendent Dr. Jason Goodwin underscored the urgency. “If I had a 16-year-old son or daughter, there is no way on earth I would let them turn out and go through the intersection (at Pike Road at Georgia Washington, Pike Road at Hwy 80).”
Dr. Goodwin continued, “Those intersections are some of the most dangerous places for an adult driver that I’ve ever witnessed.” He noted some long-standing concerns tied to traffic patterns at and around the Georgia Washington campus.
He described recent dangerous conditions and behaviors—“Dump trucks, eighteen wheeler trucks, cars, and buses veering off the side of the road to get around cars waiting to pick up student at Georgia Washington. We’ve gotten several complaints,” which he said were “rightfully so.”
One-day operational test on Nov. 5
Dr. Goodwin said the district will run a one-day operational test to see whether “double stacking… southbound on Georgia Washington” can reduce congestion and improve safety by getting “people off of those congested intersections.” He emphasized the study’s data-driven purpose: “This is just to tell us if we can make changed to improve traffic flow. Then the next step is to find a solution.”
“To minimize conflicts during the test, I’m rerouting our student drivers to keep them out of this traffic. I’m going to take them to the back onto Antioch,” Dr. Goodwin said. Some students may still “turn left on the pike and go back through it,” he added, but the expectation is fewer will do so, reducing load at the two critical intersections. He also cited operational caution and contingency planning: “I am controlling access from the south side, the school side. I have to be very careful because if there were to be an emergency.”
“The Montgomery Sheriff’s Department and School Resource Officers will assist with traffic operations. “We’ll have SRO or county deputy on Vaughn Road to assist with the additional student flow that’s coming out on Antioch,” Dr. Goodwin said, noting ongoing discussions with the Sheriff’s Department about patterns and risks.
Short-term steps, longer-term context
Even as the district plans for future facility changes, Dr. Goodwin said a near-term operational fix matters. “It would be a 16-month temporary fix, but it didn’t take but one day for an accident out there to occur, and it would be devastating.”
In the longer term, the district’s facilities roadmap includes the new high school opening and the junior high, eventually adding sixth grade. Dr. Goodwin said there may be potential to use student parking lots to get drivers off the highway.
Temporary adjustments for Nov. 5
To support the study, several temporary adjustments will be in place that afternoon:
- Car rider line: Beginning at 3:00 p.m., families picking up students may double-stack on Georgia Washington Road to help ease congestion and prevent backups at Pike Road and Georgia Washington, as well as at U.S. 80. A Montgomery Sheriff’s Department deputy will assist with stacking as vehicles enter Georgia Washington Road from Pike Road. Pike Road Schools administrators will alternate the double-stacked lanes as cars enter the pickup area in front of Pike Road High School/Pike Road Junior High School.
- Bus riders: Bus riders will be dismissed about five minutes early to allow for loading and an efficient departure of the first wave of buses.
- Student drivers: After all buses have departed from campus, student drivers will exit the student parking lot through the bus loop onto Antioch Road. Student drivers will not be permitted to exit onto Georgia Washington Road as usual.
PRS officials appreciate the community’s cooperation and patience as they assess whether two stacked afternoon car rider lines on Georgia Washington Road reduce congestion at the intersection of Georgia Washington Road and Pike Road.
Families are encouraged to allow extra time, follow the directions of staff and law enforcement, and exercise caution in the area during the study period. The district encourages everyone to review the revised traffic flow images below that it shared regarding November 5.
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