HAVERHILL — Two weeks ago, there were piles of soil and dirt roads and workers everywhere.
But today, the outside of Haverhill High has new traffic lanes that are paved and ready to go for the opening of school on Wednesday.
"They said it couldn't be done, but we got it done," said Andrew Herlihy, aide to Mayor James Fiorentini.
Building new traffic lanes outside the high school was the final phase of a $32 million reconstruction project. The new scheme is designed to eliminate traffic jams that happened at the start and end of each school day.
In the spring, the School Committee voted to delay the opening of classes until after Labor Day to give construction workers more time to finish the job. Haverhill typically starts school the week before Labor Day weekend.
As opening day approached, some officials kept their fingers crossed, hoping students and teachers would not have to negotiate their way around front-end loaders and trucks upon their return to school.
"We'll be ready to go," interim Superintendent James Scully said of the first day of school.
There is still some electrical work to be done inside the school, but that will have no effect on the comings and goings of teachers and students, he said.
Scully and Mayor James Fiorentini plan to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday at noon in front of the Thinker statue at the main entrance of Haverhill High. Other city officials as well as the local delegation of state legislators have been invited.
Herlihy noted that not only did the front yard of the high school get rehabilitated, but Monument Street and its sidewalks have been repaved. Buses and cars will now pick up and drop off students at different locations and that should do away with a lot of confusion, he said.
"That should eliminate the traffic jams," he said.
The walk between the high school pool building and the main school building will also be much safer because people will no longer have to walk across a road or parking lot, he said.
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