To the frustration of the student body, construction of the road outside St. Dominic High School is still ongoing. The road is an inconvenience and a danger to student drivers and is hardly ever worked on.

The planning and reconstruction of Elaine Drive began late last summer and was ordered by City Hall in O’Fallon, not the school. The purpose is to widen the road for the increased traffic of Elaine Drive by putting in turn lanes and improving drainage. However, the current construction is having the opposite effect by forcing students to detour and making the road narrow.

“I am infuriated about the current road situation because one day I was late for work. Trying to fit 200+ cars through that tiny little road doesn’t work,” said student driver Eddie Koch.

With the current weather conditions, construction has been temporarily postponed. Yet, cones and machinery are left out and the road is kept a one-way lane.

“Half the time there’s no workers that are present on the scene; there’s just a bunch of traffic cones in my way,” said Angela McCullough.

While the road is undoubtedly an inconvenience, some argue that it is also a danger to student drivers. These safety hazards include cones, ditches, the narrow road, and broken water mains. In wintry weather with snow and ice on the ground, these inconveniences become crash risks. Students are encouraged by the administration to drive with attentiveness and caution.

“Any time there’s stuff in the roadway with one-lane traffic, I think it is a small safety hazard, but as long as precaution is being carried out, which our students have been doing very well at, I think it’ll be okay,” said Steve Wing, the Facilities Director of St. Dominic High School.

Once construction on the right lane going north is completed, workers will begin on the left lane. Entrances will be left open for students to pull into the school parking lots. Without any more delays, the road is expected to be finished by the end of summer 2015.