PIKE ROAD, AL – Pike Road Elementary students and community leaders celebrated the official naming of Avenue of Curiosity on Wednesday, Nov. 4, marking a new route to the school and a welcome step toward easing traffic in and around The Orchards.

The new road will be open to traffic as soon as it is lined. The projected completion date is expected in about a week, depending on weather.

Kindergarten classes provided the suggested names and each PRES class voted. Mrs. McDevitt’s kindergarten’s class revealed the name before taking a school bus ride on the new road.

Until now, Avenue of Learning was the only way in and out of The Orchards, and school traffic also relied on that route. Avenue of Curiosity will provide another way to reach the elementary school and is expected to help ease congestion for families and neighborhood residents, particularly during school drop-off and pickup.

Former Pike Road Schools Superintendent Dr. Keith Lankford recalled the traffic backups that followed the opening of a 10-classroom addition at the school. He thanked school leaders, town officials, teachers, students and neighborhood residents for their patience and partnership in bringing the project to life.

“I am so proud that this has now come to fruition,” Lankford said. “It’s been a lot of partnerships.”

Mayor Gordon Stone also recognized the cooperation it took to find a solution and thanked The Orchards neighborhood for its patience. He said work to manage traffic would continue.

Addressing the students at the celebration, Stone reminded them that the new road is part of a community built with them in mind.

“This is your road. We’re here for you guys,” Stone said.