After dealing with several instances of a gridlock at Keystone Parkway and 146th Street that would add up to 15 minutes of commute time, senior Haley Scott is now trying to avoid the traffic altogether, going out of her way to reroute her commute.

“I like to run a lot of errands and go to stores that are right by there, and since the construction changes every day, I have to reroute (my commute),” Scott said. “Often, I’ll just try to not even go over 146th…instead of coming (south) I will just go around to the other side of the neighborhood and take the long route. It’s very out of the way.”

According to Indystar.com, a new ramp connecting Northbound Keystone Parkway to U.S. 31, south of 146th Sreet was opened up in early October, two weeks ahead of schedule. However, instead of alleviating traffic, the new ramp dumps more traffic onto the already crowded roads of U.S. 31, causing a gridlock.

“Because the (Keystone ramp) is advertised as ‘convenient,’ people will exploit that and everyone will try to go that way,” Scott said.

Sergeant Phil Hobson, the school resource officer here, said he agrees the ramp’s opening is not as beneficial as it first seemed.

“When the ramp was first opened, it relieved a little bit of traffic because people could use that lane, but people then see that it’s open but don’t realize that’s it’s not finished. The yield sign is almost like a stop sign, and people on Keystone have to stop and wait for their turn because Meridian traffic is continuously moving,” Hobson said. “When you have a hundred or two hundred cars moving, that’s where the gridlock comes in.”

Hobson said he strongly advises students and staff to take an alternate route.

“Some of the distances are farther, but your time is going to be a lot shorter because you don’t have to stop and wait,” he said.

The opening of the Keystone ramp is a small event in the overall process of construction along U.S. 31 scheduled for the next several years, according to Indystar.com. The state is planning more construction at several key intersections along U.S. 31, including 106th Street, 116th Street, 131st Street and 136th Street.

Scott said although she believes the construction will be helpful in the future, the current situation continues to prove problematic for her, because she must deal with an irregular commute and wasted time.

“I just wished we lived in a city with no construction,” Scott said.