Since the start of the 2024-25 school year, Archie Williams students and staff have faced ongoing traffic during both their lunch hours and their commute to and from school. With additional traffic due to construction on Sir Francis Drake Blvd, students struggle to arrive at school on time, especially with increasingly enforced attendance policies. 

On July 11, the Marin Municipal Water District began the replacement of a pipeline on Sir Francis Drake Blvd. The current 4,540-foot-long pipes are nearly 100 years old and are susceptible to main breaks and costly pavement repairs. The new 12-inch steel pipes should increase water flow to local fire hydrants and allow for better access to multiple important resources in case of emergencies. 

A majority of the road work is taking place on a section of the road that passes in front of Archie Williams, connecting to the adjacent neighborhoods and streets. The road work affects not only the residents who live near the ongoing construction, but also the neighboring communities that are connected by Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Archie Williams freshman and Sleepy Hollow resident Alice Trestege believes that the traffic affects her everyday commute to school.

“A regular day without traffic, [it takes] like five or six minutes [to get to school]… with traffic, [the commute takes] like 15-20,” Alice said. 

The unpredictability of school traffic increases commute time for Archie Williams staff as well. Spanish teacher Sarah Bender notices the drastic difference that only a couple of minutes makes when leaving for work in the morning. 

“If I leave at 7:30 a.m., I can make it here in 18 minutes. If I leave at 7:45, that changes everything, because on the way to school, I pass [by] four schools, and so it’s the traffic of [each] school [that affects the commute to school]. So, if I leave at 7:30 I’m golden; if I leave 15 minutes later, I’m 20 minutes late to work,” Bender said. 

Even without the road work specific to Sir Francis Drake Blvd, school traffic is often unavoidable. Although construction times have been shifted later, now from 9:00 a.m. through 3:00 p.m. to accommodate school commuting, it continues to create difficulties for students who drive off campus to get lunch. The flow of traffic leaving the school parking lot becomes congested, inevitably increasing the lunchtime traffic. 

Archie Williams senior Tobias Halpern feels the traffic drastically affects his attendance. Although he’s been putting in effort to be at school on time, Tobias has still been tardy due to the ongoing traffic issue. 

“I’ve only been late from lunch this year because of the traffic. I’ve been doing my best to be on time, [but] you can’t really do anything when it takes you 10 minutes to get from Red Hill to Archie Williams,” Tobias said. 

While many students experience issues getting back to school on time after lunch, Archie Williams is increasingly highlighting the importance of being in class when the bell rings, enforcing attendance policies and encouraging students to use their time effectively and efficiently. 

Students still struggle to meet the growing standards with the time it takes to travel to school and even nearby places for lunch. The communities surrounding Archie Williams offer plenty of popular restaurants and take-out spots that students visit during lunch. However, the clearest challenge is that travel times to and from these places are often unclear or significantly different from what they expect.

“It depends where I go, but [when going to] downtown San Anselmo this year, I have to leave with like 20 minutes left to get back to class on time,” Tobias said.  

Even without ongoing construction, due to the high volume of students heading to school and working residents commuting in the area, traffic can pose challenges. However, with construction expected to be completed by October 31, both Archie Williams staff and students hope that traffic will ease and that attendance for those impacted will improve.