Construction blocks school buses, new routes frustrate parents

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Mooresville parents reached out to Eyewitness News outraged that their children, some as young as 5 years old are being forced to walk through construction zones to get to their new bus stop.

The Mooresville Graded School District actually moved the stop because of construction materials were blocking the road.

That move meant Stacy Harbinson's children’s bus stop would also move a few blocks away.

Harbinson and the district showed Eyewitness News photos of a massive crane blocking the school bus.

The district suspended three bus stops and have all the kids meeting at one stop until the area clears.

"It's a lot farther, unsafe. I can't see them," Harbinson said.

She said they believe roughly 20 students are impacted. Harbinson and her neighbors don't want their kids walking through the same zone cluttered with equipment.

"I'm really concerned for my children," she said.

Eyewitness News took their concerns to the district.

"We want to make sure our drivers and students are safe," Michael Royal, chief operations officer for MGSD, said

He said they're working with the builders, but know the timeline for reopening the regular route is out of their hands.

“It's going to come down to the builder. For now, we need to make sure the buses are able to run a safe route," he said.

The farthest home is 0.3 miles from the new stop, and maps out as a six- or seven-minute walk. Students do have to pass stretches of construction and in some areas, there are no sidewalks.

Harbinson said that some days, it’s safer to drive her kids.

"I think more needs to be done." she said.

Eyewitness News contacted the two builders working in the neighborhood: Niblock Homes and H & H Homes.

The Charlotte Division manager for H&H Homes told Eyewitness News that he welcomes the complaints, but said it's a difficult situation. He said tries to get contractors to accommodate buses but does not have direct control over all of its contractors.

The district is reevaluating the safety of that area for students and buses. They hope to reopen the route soon.

Cox Media Group