Without fail, the morning rush from 7:50 to 8:20 greets Grandview’s students- the infamous flood of cars all racing to get a parking spot. As soon as the bell rings, it seems the chaos stops as quickly as it started, and the roads are clear again. Until 3:30, when the now tired, hungry, and impatient students are trying to get home, faced with traffic yet again. 

Majority of students have the same complaints and frustrations- congested exits and unsafe driving. 

“School traffic is ridiculous. When I come down Arapahoe road I turn into the school, and the traffic to get into the parking lot initially is horrible,” Will Sommerfeld (12) said. “It’s backed up by about two or three lights. People often block the intersection- so those who are trying to make a right-hand turn probably have an even harder time than me.”  

Each exit has its own problems and the crowded lot only exacerbates the situation. 

“There’s only two exits and most of them are pretty backed up because of the lights. With the middle [exit]- because everyone is trying to get over to the [left] turn lanes- people stop there when people behind them could go,” Owen Campbell (12) said. 

Grandview heard these student voices, and acted. The most notable addition is the new left-turn lane at the West exit, part of an ongoing effort to alleviate congestion. 

Previously, when coming and leaving school, students were constantly waiting for two main lights. Their poor timing would lead to the clogging of the turn lanes. Many students agree the new turn lane has helped with not only the time it takes, but also the safety on the roads. 

“Two left-hand turn lanes are beneficial. More people can turn onto Arapahoe. There are some safety concerns with people trying to swing inside and trying to make an immediate right-hand turn on that first light off of Arapahoe,” Sommerfeld said. 

New drivers, rush hour, and the sheer number of people all trying to leave the parking lot at once created an unfit and unsafe situation for all parties- drivers, bikers, and pedestrians. 

“Last year, we did a traffic study. We had drones out here. We had people from our own district, the city of Aurora, and the police department watching our traffic- seeing where people go. Seeing where the busiest times are,” Grandview’s Principal, Dr. Lisa Roberts said. 

Based on the study, it was clear that the west exit, the school’s busiest, was the area in need of improvement. However, completely fixing the traffic issues comes with difficulties. 

“Hard part about it though is all of our exits dump to the same road, Arapahoe Rd. It becomes very challenging as far as that goes,” Dr. Roberts said. “We’ve constantly had to battle between whose jurisdiction we are.” 

For years, the school has worked with the county on potential solutions, but the final decisions regarding school grounds lie with the city. 

“Our biggest suggestion was the timing of the lights because people would sit there for so long. No one can get out unless we can change those lights,” Dr. Roberts said. “We don’t have anywhere else where anyone can exit, so that’s what we ended up landing on.”

In exploring other options, the school also considered turning the one-way entrance near Winchells into a two-way, but space limitations made it unfeasible. 

“One extra turn lane was really the only option we had from the school perspective,” Dr. Roberts said. 

Dr. Roberts’ main priority is safety, but she understands the importance of high schoolers’ time. She is open to student suggestions on how to further help the issue. 

“The best ideas come from you guys. I will take any and all ideas anybody has to make it better because I do worry about safety, and I know people get frustrated at the end of the day,” Dr. Roberts said.