Cooperative problem-solving appreciated

The Valley doesn’t really have the kind of rush-hour traffic larger municipal areas do.

Yes, it’s best to avoid either end of the Palmer-Wasilla Highway early in the morning and late in the afternoon. But if we called that “rush hour traffic,” residents of more urban areas wouldn’t bat an eye at what we consider traffic congestion.

Still, anyone who’s lived here awhile knows better than to try to drive Seward Meridian Parkway north of the Palmer-Wasilla Highway at the start or end of the school day.

That’s where parents in the northbound lane wait for an opening in southbound traffic to turn into Cottonwood Creek Elementary to pick up or drop off their children. The road is narrow with no shoulder that allows vehicles to go around. Traffic backs up and blood pressures rise.

While we — and most of our neighbors — can opt for a different north-south route to avoid that area during problem hours, parents of Cottonwood Creek students can’t. So, they’re stuck making a left turn across a busy, fast road.

It’s more than an annoyance; it has become a safety issue. It’s an issue the borough has tried to fix once already by building a longer driveway to allow more parents to queue. We’ve noticed, and are grateful for, the change. But we wouldn’t call it a solution to the safety problem.

That’s why we were pleased to visit the school with Assemblymen Jim Colver and Ron Arvin Thursday. These two are justifiably proud to have found the money and time to put in place what they say will be a permanent fix for the Cottonwood rush-hour tangle — a still longer driveway that loops around the school, with a main entrance at a future traffic light planned near the school on Seward Meridian.

While it might seem like a shame to cover so much of the school grounds in asphalt, we can think of no better solution to provide a safe entrance and egress for parents and the school’s teachers and staff members.

Assemblyman Arvin promises borough residents more of the same problem-solving from himself and the rest of the assembly. He also promises a sense of urgency at the assembly table.

We are pleased to see the assembly and school district work together to quickly and efficiently address problems such as this.

We’re not advocating for hurried, poorly planned efforts at problem-solving. But we do appreciate when government groups work together to solve problems like this one that has stymied the Cottonwood Creek school community for more than a decade.

We tip our hats and send our thanks to Assemblymen Arvin and Colver for this cooperative effort that makes this intersection safer for all.