MADISON – Madison Police Department is preparing for the 2017-2018 school year and reminds motorists to prepare for traffic in proximity to school zones.

Students in Madison City Schools return to class on Aug. 7. Motorists should expect traffic delays in school zones. The police encourage people who are not driving a student to school to consider alternate routes and thus avoid traffic congestion, which is always at a peak during the first week of school.

Madison police officers will monitor the school zones in Madison to confirm that all motorists, cyclists and pedestrians are safe. Speed limits are set at 25 MPH for everyone’s safety.

Crossing guards and officers in the traffic division will guide traffic. “Please be patient and cooperate with their direction,” a spokesperson said.

Parents with children at Mill Creek Elementary must remember that a portion of Mill Road, west of Mose Chapel Road, is closed for bridge construction. This summer’s frequent rains have delayed progress on the bridge.

The police department suggests the following alternate route or detour:

While driving on Brown’s Ferry Road, turn south on Balch Road. Then, turn west on Mill Road. Return to Brown’s Ferry Road and turn south on Mose Chapel Road.

In addition, road closures on Burgreen Road (south of Brown’s Ferry Road) will impact traffic at James Clemens High School. Motorists who are north of this intersection are encouraged to use the school’s main entrance on County Line Road. Neighborhoods south of Powell Road can use the entrances to the school from Burgreen Road.

Officers remind parents with children at Rainbow Elementary School that the safest place to drop off and pick up students is the car rider line on campus. Parents dropping students off in Bradford Farms to use neighborhood walkways accessing the school’s campus should remember that students who live in the neighborhood have to consider the additional hazards of heavy vehicular traffic in cul-de-sacs and side streets.

Please drive safely, be mindful of slow-moving traffic, watch for frequent stops in school zones and yield to pedestrians, the spokesperson said.