Traffic Alert: Expect delays as new high school opens in west Pasco
It’s back to school week around the Tri-Cities area and drivers are getting the usual warnings to be alert and cautious.
But traffic congestion could be particularly ugly in a fast-growing area of Pasco, with the opening of a new high school, major road construction and other schools starting up again.
In particular, Burns Road in West Pasco is expecting a surge of traffic beginning Tuesday, Aug. 26, when Sageview High School opens its doors for the first time.
The school will welcome freshmen, sophomores and juniors, but no senior class, during its first year open. Some juniors will be driving.
The $127 million school will have 1,140 freshmen, sophomores and juniors, as well as 100 teachers and staff.
Only freshmen will be there on Tuesday, Aug. 26, followed by 10th and 11th-graders on Wednesday.
Pasco Public Works officials say drivers will need to adjust to the increased congestion and may need to change their usual routes, at least for the start of the 2025-26 school year.
Peak school traffic times are in the mornings between 7-7:45 a.m. and afternoons after 2:30 p.m.
School starts at 7:44 a.m. and ends at 2:37 p.m., except for Thursdays when students are released early at 1:50 p.m., said school officials.
The traffic flow
Drivers should drop off and pick up students at the front of the school. Sageview Principal Raquel Martinez’s tip is to look for the flagpole.
She said there are multiple ways to exit the front parking lot.
They are encouraging parents, students and other drivers to keep the bus drop-off area clear of cars, to obey traffic lights and keep speeds low, she said.
Students will be walking to and from the campus, so drivers should be mindful of crosswalks and signs. School security officers and administrators will be on-hand to help direct traffic.
Students can park in the northeast parking lot and enter the school through the north side of the building.
Martinez’s main advice to drivers is to plan accordingly — extra time and patience will go a long way as everyone learns the new traffic flow.
Most drivers should be familiar with the area since they will be coming from neighborhoods nearby the school, said officials.
In an unrelated complication, Broadmoor Boulevard – the main north-south access to Burns Road from Interstate-182 – will shut down during overnight hours for three days next week.
Broadmoor will be closed 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. for construction work Monday-Wednesday (Aug. 25-27) between Burns Road and Harris Road.
The city will have a detour in place, and flaggers to help drivers navigate around the closure. The detour route from the south is Sandifur Parkway to Road 90 to Burns Road.
New traffic signals on Burns Road
As part of the school project, Pasco built out the north half of Burns Road and installed two new traffic signals — one at Burns Road and Road 60 and another at Burns Road and Road 64. Road 64 runs west of the school, north of Burns Road.
Burns Road intersects with Road 68, which has the highest daily traffic in the Tri-Cities area at an average of 49,500 vehicles each day.
Eventually the city also will complete the “missing link” of Burns Road between Convention Drive and Road 68.
A recently submitted development proposal includes construction of a significant portion of that area. A traffic signal at Burns Road and Road 68 is already listed on the city’s transportation impact fee project list.
Officials say the schedule for the signal project may be moved up in priority to help address congestion as the area continues to grow.
