As construction begins on the Mars Area Elementary School Expansion Project, the “Little Dipper” access road, connecting Mars Area Elementary School to the Mars Area Primary Center cafeteria entrance and District Administration Office parking lots, will be closed daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Wednesday, Jan. 14.

NOTICE — On Friday, Jan. 16, the “Little Dipper” will be closed from  7 a.m. to 3 p.m., as crews install jersey barriers along the access road.

The “Little Dipper” will reopen at 3 p.m. each day for afternoon Elementary School Student Pick-up. The closure times may be adjusted as construction progresses.

Access to Mars Area Elementary School will remain available via Brickyard Road and Doc’s Way. However, parents/guardians are asked to use caution when using Doc’s Way, as construction vehicles will be traveling along and crossing over the access road throughout the first phase of the project.

In addition, Mars Area Primary Center is asking parents/guardians to refrain from lining up along the Doc’s Way access road before 11:20 a.m. for AM Kindergarten Pick-up and prior to 12:15 p.m. for PM Kindergarten Drop-off to avoid added congestion in an area where construction vehicles will be present.

The overall project will include a new three-story classroom wing; a new cafeteria/kitchen; and an expanded STEAM classroom and guidance suite in the location of the current cafeteria/kitchen. On the building’s exterior, plans include a new, separate parent drop-off/pick-up area along the front of the school; a widened “Little Dipper” access road; a reconfigured Doc’s Way access road; a new cross-site roadway along the southern edge of the campus; and additional parking.

For more information about the project, visit www.marsk12.https://www.marsk12.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=4399319&type=d&pREC_ID=2621510.