Do you long to spend more time stuck in your car? Do you enjoy the soul-deadening experience of going-stopping-going-stopping-going-stopping over the course of three blocks? Do you need to practice inching your way uphill without stalling or rolling into the car behind you? Do you need to test whether or not all that meditation is effective in maintaining a Zen-like calmness as you’re waiting forever to make a left turn? If any of these apply to you, then hopefully you have a kid enrolled in Arcata High School.

Like most schools, the morning drop-offs and afternoon pick-ups are a snarl at best, a standstill at worst – oh, for the days when children walked and biked to school! To add to the first week chaos this year, however, public works crews are repaving 16th Street (aka “the way in”), closing it between J and H streets. 

What that looked like today, the first day of school, was traffic backed up and down K as drivers were stuck either on the 15th Street hill or stuck waiting to make the turn onto it. J Street was also an unfun place to be. 

This also affects Arcata Community Pool users – if you’re hoping to swim that mile before work, make sure to plan accordingly.

Drivers can still reach the AHS campus and the Community Pool from 16th Street via J or L streets, or from Alliance Road and 15th Street, but during the school-related rush hours, it won’t be quick. Parents might consider carpooling up as much as possible and/or dropping the kids off four-five blocks away – or have your favorite podcasts cued up to make hanging out in the car seem like a good thing.

Work hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sept. 7.