FIELD TOWNSHIP – On Monday, St. Louis County School Board members defended their decision to send school buses on Alango Road despite concerns raised about the safety of the practice.

The district currently has four buses routed on Alango Road. No students reside along the roadway, but Superintendent Teresa Knife Chief said using the road reduces travel time and saves the district about $12,222 annually.

Meanwhile, landowners along Alango Road presented a petition to Field Township on Tuesday, calling for the closure of the road’s entry to East Olson Road to stop traffic from using the route as a shortcut to and from the North Woods School.

Safety concerns

ISD 2142 Transportation Director Ed Dorman told board members meeting at the North Woods School on Monday that Alango Road did have a narrow bridge and some poor sight lines due to the hilly terrain, but other routes used by the district had similar safety hazards. Even if the buses were rerouted to Highway 53, he said, there was no guarantee that accidents wouldn’t happen. “We can’t guarantee accidents won’t happen anywhere we drive,” he told the board.

Dorman’s presentation also featured dash-cam video from one of the buses as it drove Alango Road. During the two-mile stretch, the bus did not encounter any traffic, so there was no frame of reference for how poor the sight lines might be on some hills.

Dorman acknowledged that the Environmental Assessment Worksheet prepared for the North Woods School cited safety concerns on Alango Road and that the district had stated it would not have any bus traffic on the road except to serve students residing in homes along the roadway.

But he said the county had notified the district of improvements it had made on the road and the decision to use Alango Road was made after the receipt of that information. The improvements, which included replacing guardrails on the bridge and some additional signage on the road, did not address the chief safety concerns — the narrow bridge and poor sight lines on the hilly road. The county has indicated future improvements that would deal with those issues are planned and it is in the process of acquiring easements along the road.

Student Rylee Lokken, who drives on Alango Road to the school, said there are steep hills on both sides of the bridge, increasing the risk of an accident in icy weather.

Board member Nancy Wall Glowaski cited the frequent use of farm equipment on the road, which is located in an agricultural zone. She also said it’s difficult to see approaching traffic in some areas because of the hills.

Her comments prompted board member Gary Rantala to note that farmers were required to post slow-moving vehicle signs and other warning signals when on public roads.

Board members suggested adding video cameras to all the buses on Alango Road and also may contact the county about placing a sign warning motorists about the narrow bridge on the road. Dorman said the cost of outfitting a bus with the video camera and related hardware would be about $1,200 to $1,500. The presence of video cameras, which also track speed, could help ensure that bus drivers travel at safe speeds, Dorman said.

Board member Glowaski, however, suggested that the district stop using Alango Road and route the buses along Highway 1 to Highway 53. “That would be a safer approach,” she said. The district should wait until the county addresses the key safety issues on the road, she added.

Board member Jody Feist responded that using Highway 53 didn’t guarantee an accident wouldn’t happen there. She encouraged the district to take steps to caution students and other motorists to drive safely on Alango Road.

Residents concerned

Meanwhile, Field Township residents voiced their concerns about the increased traffic on the road at the township’s meeting on Tuesday. Jim Eisner, who has had several close scrapes on the road and had his Caterpillar struck by a driver while he was clearing snow from his driveway last month, said the road is less safe since the school opened.

Others agree and Jackie Stewart, who was nearly struck by a youth driving a car while chatting on his cell phone, brought a petition signed by landowners along the road asking that the East Olson Road exit be closed.

Field Township Chairman Keith Aho said the township can’t close the road, but will send the petition to the county, which has the authority to close off the exit.

In addition, the Field Township Board plans to ask the school board, superintendent, and transportation director to attend its next meeting on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The township is proposing an alternative route for the buses that would use Burtness Road instead of Alango Road. The road, located a mile down from Alango Road, is a safer route with only one hill and no bridges.

“Using Burtness Road would save the county hundreds of thousands of dollars in fixing Alango Road,” said Field Township resident Carol Kleven. “Nothing would have to be done to the Burtness Road to use it. The road is ready to use right now and it is quite safe to use.”