SEPARATE TRAFFIC AREAS ENHANCE SAFETY MEASURES FOR SCHOOL

K&W Engineers created site plans to add 17,514 SF for the additions and renovations at Chief Shikellamy Elementary School and re-imagined parking and vehicle traffic.

A major focus of this project for K&W was creating a separate and safer bus loop and a separate parent loop. Existing parking areas and drives were reoriented and widened. An additional traffic feature was expanding the school entrance. There are now two lanes for incoming traffic for more vehicular stacking for parents and one outbound lane, which provides a safer site access scenario. A segmental retaining wall with 42” guardrail was engineered to stabilize the bank of ground to the left of the entrance.

Two building additions flank each side of the existing facility, creating 13 new classrooms. Accessible walkways were added to the perimeter of each addition, creating new ADA compliance routes in an area that also served as a point for school deliveries. New curbs were constructed to match existing curbs.

K&W helped reduce project costs by re-using existing decorative gravel to effectively create a base for parking areas. This reduced maintenance for intensive materials and eliminated the costs and effort to remove gravel from site and dispose in a landfill.