In an attempt to make the Mt. Juliet Middle School parking lot safer, Wilson County School officials created a new traffic plan for parents to pick up and drop off their children. However, the plan created a traffic jam no one expected.
It was the first day back to school in Wilson County. Some parents at Mount Juliet Middle School encountered problems dropping their kids off due to a new traffic pattern.
Last year school officials thought it was dangerous that buses, cars, and students were being dropped off in the same parking lot.
The school system enacted a new traffic pattern for the first day of school, and it didn't work.
Lieutenant Tyler Chandler with the Mount Juliet Police Department said they had extra officers on hand to help.
Lt. Chandler said, "The back up this morning went all the way from the school back up to Lebanon Road and then Lebanon Road began to back up both directions as well coming from the south end of town, traffic backed up all the way towards division street."
Shortly after, Mount Juliet Middle School retracted the new traffic pattern and told parents to pick up students how they did last year:
Jennifer Johnson, a spokesperson for Wilson County Schools, said parents can now revert back to the traffic pattern they did last year while school officials go back to the drawing board.
Johnson said, "When you have that many car riders and students are anxious to get out of the line you know. It can get dangerous, and we did have a couple close calls last year, so that's why we were going to try to put the buses in the front and the car riders in the back and unfortunately it didn't work out."
On Wednesday there will be 3 separate car lines.
Parents can enter the school from Woodridge Place and Charlie Daniels Parkway.
Mount Juliet Road may still be congested, so try to avoid it around 8a.m.
Lt. Chandler said, "There's Golden Bear Gateway you can get on to get on Interstate 40 now you can also head down towards Hermitage Old Hickory Blvd if you don't want to hit Mount Juliet Road."
Johnson said if they come up with a new traffic pattern at the middle school it will be after Fall break.
