Statement from Benton City Police…. We would like to update the public about the traffic flow at the new South Marshall Middle School. We made some changes Thursday afternoon after watching how things flowed earlier that morning. During the morning drop off and afternoon pick up, ALL traffic leaving the school onto 641 is being routed to turn right to go north on 641. Anyone that wants to go south can utilize one of the median turn around spots at Hiett Lane or Church Grove Road as an access point to turn back south. During the morning hours, there was too much congestion at the median in front of the school with vehicles crossing to go south and south bound traffic turning left into the school. We felt the backup was a potential safety hazard with the increased speed limit on 641. With some time we hope that the process can be smoothed out even more. We ask that anyone traveling on 641 during those times to be cautious of the traffic leaving the school. Thank you for your cooperation.
