42nd Street reopened on Dec. 11, 2025, allowing for less traffic to build up around the surrounding neighborhoods of Kennedy. The reopening allows for students to get to school more efficiently with the new roads being partially finished.
In March of 2025, 42nd Street was closed for construction. The road was closed to fix aging infrastructure, broken sidewalks, draining improvements and adding pedestrian safety medians. However, it resulted in over half the student population at Kennedy changing their routines, or accommodating for heavier traffic with the newfound detours to get to school.
“I think the roads were really bad because they were so uneven. The cracks in the road were messing up my car. It was like I hit cracks every second,” Senior Kayla Langerman said. “It used to just take me three minutes to get to school but now it takes 8.”
The construction of the roads started along Twin Pines Golf Course and the surrounding businesses. Initially, the constriction opened up detours on Glass Road and Blue Jay. However, as work progressed, more neighborhoods were being opened up for the student’s traffic. Neighborhoods like Falcon Drive and Sally Drive were being flooded with the after school traffic. Students started finding other ways like the highway to make up time for their route, but this just caused an increase in the traffic when the bells let out.
“You never really knew where the switch was going to be. You would just always have to be prepared. You would be ready to take your route but then it would just change,” Senior Addison Kellogg said. “You have to make sure you leave earlier because it might take longer, or you would have to zoom out of school because of all of the traffic.”
The construction has taken a pause on the first phase of the process and the roads have been reopened this winter relieving some of the traffic around the neighborhoods. Upperclassmen are getting back into their routine from years prior. Many students are feeling relieved that the road is back open for the time being.
“It was a surprise to me but I was really excited and happy, I kind of missed it. It has helped me get to school so much quicker,” Kellogg said. “It is so much easier because there are so many people trying to turn different ways. But now that a majority of students’ routes are one way, the road reopening is much easier. The traffic really dies down.”
42nd Street will be blocked off once more, some time in spring of 2026 to begin the second construction phase. Detours will be released to accommodate the future construction. Students will have to continue to be flexible with the constant changes being made around the building.
“I am more prepared for when it does close down. Because although the construction will be closer to the school and that will be a tough thing to handle, I think everyone will be more prepared because of this first semester,” Kellogg said.
