CAPE CORAL, Fla., -- Less than 24 hours before the first day of school, Cape Coral parents received an email explaining there will be school bus delays for weeks due to construction.
“The only concern is nobody wants their kids to sit on a bus forever," said Denise Henry, mom of two Cape Coral High School teenagers. "If you want to make alternative plans, you want to have a little more time to do that.”
Henry says her daughters have been left at the bus stop for at least an hour, if not more, in the past. While their bus route won't run into construction this year, she understands the concerns parents have.
“I don’t know if I would risk my kids waiting for that long, I would probably find an alternative route.”
Lee County School District Spokesperson, Rob Spicker, says he also found out about the delays today, which stems from Cape Coral's Utilities Extension Project. However, he says Lee School Bus Transportation has been proactive all summer long.
“There are buses and drivers set aside to pick up any student that may not get picked up at their regular stop," said Spicker.
Spicker says drivers have been studying alternative routes and will even have access down some closed roads. He says with 50,000 students who ride the bus there are challenges, but explains they are doing everything they can to make each student gets to and from school safely.
According to the UEP, the following schools will be effected.
- Christa McAuliffe Charter Elementary School
- Mariner Middle School
- Mariner High School
- Northwest Regional Library
For a complete list of road closures, visit Cape Coral's Utility Project Website.
Spicker suggests downloading the"Where's My Bus" Appto help monitor bus routes.
