Road closure affects Mason school bus routes

As the first day of school approaches for Mason students, including Wednesday at Mason Elementary School, some bus stops will be changing for the beginning of the school year due to the closure of Barrett Hill Road caused by bridge replacement over the border in Townsend, Mass.

“I think this definitely impacts us, but we worked around it and came up with a good solution,” Superintendent/Principal Kristen Kivela said.

Any bus stop that is on Barrett Hill Road will be changed to Churchill Road and Old Turnpike Road for both morning and afternoon stops. This affects students at Mason Elementary School, as well as Mason middle- and high-school students who take the bus to Milford. Grades one through nine in Milford start Wednesday, and kindergarten and grades 10 to 12 begin Thursday.

Stops at 135 Old Turnpike Road, 245 Old Turnpike Road, Marcel/Reed Road, 170 Old Turnpike Road, Churchill/Old Turnpike and 159 Fitchburg Road will be 12 minutes late in the morning for elementary school students. In the afternoon, stops at Valley Road, Brookline Road, Old County Road, Starch Mill Road, Abbott Hill Road, Mitchell Hill Road will be 12 minutes later for elementary students.

Middle and high school stops on 23/159 Fitchburg Road, Marcel/Reed, 170 Old Turnpike Road, Churchill Road/Old Turnpike Road will be 12 minutes earlier in the morning. In the afternoon, the Churchill/Old Turnpike, Marcel/Reed, 170 Old Turnpike Road, 159 Fitchburg Road, 23 Fitchburg Road in the afternoon will be delayed by approximately 12 minutes.

Kivela said these changes will not affect school hours, as there will be enough “wiggle room” between the middle, high and elementary school bus schedules to keep the school hours the same. She said she expects these changes to last seven to eight weeks, based on information she has received.