Mars district campus traffic changes tied to Route 228 construction
Mars Area School District officials are reminding drivers of the new traffic patterns created by the ongoing construction of a tattered Route 228 as the new school year begins Thursday, Aug. 21.
At a Tuesday school board meeting, school officials weighed whether they needed to adjust plans for how traffic flows amid the roadwork surrounding the district’s school buildings.
A release posted to the district’s website Wednesday details how traffic is intended to move, allowing buses and parents alike to drop students off at both the middle school and high school.
The district is “attempting to curb cut-through traffic and to limit access to portions of our school campuses, both during the school day and when school is not in session,” according to the memo.
As for what to watch for when entering and exiting the high school, the eastern entrance along Route 228, near the cafeteria and auditorium, remains open, but drivers are discouraged from making left turns when exiting. The western entrance near the tennis courts remains closed.
“We’d like to show that entrance being open — just because of the general congestion that we foresee internally in our parking lots and could possibly back up externally onto the road,” superintendent Mark Gross told the board during Tuesday’s meeting.
Access from the high school auditorium lot onto Three Degree Road is now right-turn-only, with drivers directed south to the new roundabout at Milky Way to reconnect with Route 228. The Milky Way entrance remains the main access point to campus, and officials are asking drivers to use caution around the traffic circle, specifically during arrival and dismissal times.
Meanwhile, the middle school has its own set of challenges that drivers should be aware of.
The southern entrance on Three Degree Road has been permanently closed, and drivers are encouraged to use the main Davidson Road driveway to access campus.
The Route 228 entrance remains open to westbound traffic, but a gate blocks access to the school’s main entrance from 8 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. on school days. Similarly, the southern gate near the southeast corner of the parking lot is closed during those hours.
A new gate has also been added at the Davidson Road entrance, which may be closed when school is not in session.
There are several other changes to entry and exit points.
A new gate on Doc’s Way, just west of the LEFCON Field lot, will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on school days beginning at the start of the school year, but closed at other times. During afternoon dismissal (2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.), only school buses may enter Doc’s Way from Three Degree Road.
Those picking up students should continue to access Mars Area Elementary School and Mars Area Primary Center through Route 228 at Helenz Way, and may exit the campuses through Doc’s Way.
A gate has also been added at the “Little Dipper” access road connecting the elementary school to the administration and primary center parking lots. However, that gate may closed during certain school events or when school is not in session.
Additionally, the gate at Officer Edward Brooks Drive remains closed during the school day but will be opened before classes begin for school bus traffic only. Parents are asked to refrain from using that road; they are to access the Mars Area Centennial School by taking Davidson Road and Meredith Drive.
Since most of the campuses are along the Route 228 corridor, the district has been working closely with the state Department of Transportation to minimize any impacts to school traffic, according to the memo.
“Anytime we do a project that affects a school district whether directly or with transportation needs, we talk through project details, timelines, etc. with them so they understand the project impacts. For long term projects, we maintain communication with them throughout the process to keep them current on any changes and updates,” said Christina Gibbs, community relations coordinator for PennDOT District 10.
According to PennDOT, the project is expected to be completed by November 2026.
Work along Route 228 currently includes widening the road, as well as making improvements to its intersection with Three Degree Road in Adams Township, near Mars Area High School.
The project notes that the highway will have two lanes in each direction, plus additional turn lanes at various intersections when completed. It will also create several new township roads to improve access along the corridor.
