The Early Bird Catches the Traffic Jam

Construction signs alert DVC drivers: Use alternate route.

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Ray Martin

Golf Club Road, is consumed by construction, from Contra Costa Blvd to the entrance to the DVC campus.

Ray Martin, Correspondent

Early semester traffic is already a beast of nightmares. Add to that traffic cones, road signs saying to take alternate routes and hundreds of new students joining the thousands of returning students and the result is a traffic mess fit for a TV sitcom.

For DVC students and staff, the construction on Golf Club Road promises further frustration to the first few weeks’ struggle of finding parking and navigating through the ongoing construction on campus. The traffic mess appears to be spilling over into classrooms.  A common scene has been a steady stream of late students pouring into classrooms.

“I’m already running late and now there’s a robot dinosaur eating the road,” says English major Kelan Young.

So when will the construction obstruction end? The $3.8 million bridge rebuilding project is in its second phase, which is intended to wrap-up late this year. Phase three will begin in spring of 2015 and is scheduled for completion by December 2015.

Local businesses say that the number of customers is returning to normal as people realize that they are still open. Though concerns about confusing signage still remain.

Supercuts manager Katie (who requested to have her last name withheld due to corporate policies) wonders whether better signs should be installed, considering the length of the project.

“It’s a pain, you have to go into the middle of the street, you can’t see oncoming cars,” she said.

For now, students are advised to arrive early to help alleviate the congestion and ensure sufficient time to find parking. Avoid Golf Club Road, and follow traffic signs and use alternate routes such as Chilpancingo Pkwy and Viking Drive

For detailed information, visit the DVC website and click on the link for Construction Zone updates on the front page.