Streets will soon become safer for the students of both Mitchell schools.

At least that is what Hanover School Division Assistant Superintendent Shelley Amos is hoping. Amos says she met with the RM, Mitchell LUD, and Manitoba Infrastructure last summer to discuss the division’s ongoing concerns for the safety of students crossing Highway 52.

Recently, Manitoba Infrastructure advised Hanover Council it was planning to install crosswalks and stoplights along the highway. To Amos, those changes could not come soon enough.

“We were very pleased and thrilled to hear that they are looking at substantial improvements on the roadway,” she comments. “The principals in Mitchell have been talking about safety there for a while.”

In the past few years, the number of kids traversing the highway to get to school has only grown. Amos says enrollment continues to climb at both schools and that means the chances of a devastating collision are increasing as well.

To curb this rising threat, many students who live just across the highway, and do not technically qualify for busing, are still being transported via school bus. In addition to this, Amos says the principals of Mitchell Elementary School and Mitchell Middle School are always encouraging parents to ensure their kids have a safe route to and from school. The addition of traffic-controlling infrastructure would be welcomed indeed.

According to Amos, Manitoba Infrastructure plans on meeting with the division in the coming months to continue this very dialogue.

“It’s always the school division’s mindset to advocate for safety when and where we can,” stresses Amos, “so I’m happy we can be a part of this conversation.”

As far as timeline goes for installing traffic signals and crosswalks, Manitoba Infrastructure has said the work could be done this fall.

Read more: Traffic Lights Could Be Coming To Mitchell