Morning update: Dense fog

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By Rick Rector | Tuesday, September 16, 2008 6:03 AM CDT | () comments

Good Tuesday, Quad-Cities. At 6 a.m. it’s 46 degrees under foggy skies. Today we will see patchy dense fog until 9 a.m. before sunny skies prevail with a high near 73 degrees. Tonight the patchy fog will return after midnight. The low will be around 51, according to the National Weather Service.

Green, Rock rivers above flood stage

The Green River in Geneseo, Ill., is at 16.83 feet this morning and causing moderate flooding. The river level, however, is falling. Flood stage is 15 feet.

The Rock River in Joslin, Ill., is 11.69 feet this morning. In Moline, the Rock is at 12.29 feet. The Rock should crest tonight at 12.5 feet in Moline. Flood stage in both Joslin and Moline is 12 feet.

East Moline reopens Morton Drive

Here’s some good news for those drivers in East Moline where the city has been working on the reconstruction of Morton Drive between 19th and 27th streets since April.

While some work remains to be completed, including some intersections, driveway aprons, sidewalks, and final grading, the main pavement is completed and the street reopened.

Traffic control barricades will remain along the edges of the street where the contractor continues to work, so drivers should remain cautious as they travel on this segment. The city’s engineering staff and East Moline Police Department will monitor the traffic flow.

The side streets from 20th to 26th streets will be opened to traffic at a later date after more work is completed. Access to area residents will continue to be maintained throughout construction.

Central Park closure

The news is not so good in Davenport as West Central Park Avenue is closed between Harrison and Scott streets for the next few days while city crews repair a sewer main. Access for residents of the area will still be available.

Tanglefoot Lane work

Bettendorf commuters are facing the same challenge with Tanglefoot Lane that it saw with at Middle Road a few weeks ago. Crews are out working on concrete pavement patching on Tanglefoot from Devils Glen to Utica Ridge roads in Bettendorf. For the next three weeks portions of the road are barricaded and traffic detoured to the gravel shoulder where construction is in progress.

Check out our road closings list before you head out this morning for area road closings. And check out our gas-price guide for the cheapest prices at the pumps in the Quad-Cities.

Does your child take a school bus?

If you are a parent, you have probably had one of those moments where you ask yourself, “Is my child really safe on the school bus?” As parents, we would never dream of placing our children into the hands of a perfect stranger and asking them to take our children to school on a route we don’t even know.

However, that is what we do every time we put our children on a bus enroute to their school. How many of you know the name of your bus driver? Do you know the route your child takes to school? There are a lot of questions that come to mind when we talk about the safety of our children on a bus.

First, don’t be afraid to talk to the school bus driver. Introduce yourself; let them know they can also talk to you if any problems or concerns arise. Every school district has a transportation director that is in charge of the school bus fleet. If there are some safety issues or items that cannot be handled with the bus driver, talking to the transportation director would be your next option. It is your job as parents, adults, and concerned citizens to not let safety concerns go unnoticed.

School buses in the state of Iowa undergo a bi-annual inspection by the Department of Education. The Iowa State Patrol also assists in this inspection process. The purpose of this inspection is to check for equipment violations and assure that the buses transporting our children are safe and secure. Inspectors are checking lights, alarms, seats and all of the major components that make-up a bus.

When your child or children are waiting for the school bus, they should wait at the bus stop and stand back away from the road. Remind them that in most cases there is traffic going by them.

Your school district probably has a school bus behavior policy. Your bus driver’s number one interest is your child’s safety. When on the bus instruct your child to:

• Listen to the bus driver in case there are any special instructions for the bus ride.

• Sit quietly in the seat.

• Speak quietly to the other children.

Advise your child that they should never jump up and down, fight or tease other passengers or make a lot of noise. These activities can bother the bus driver and the driver will not be able to give proper attention to driving. In fact, these behaviors can bother any driver, including family members or friends and make it difficult to drive safely.

When your child gets off the bus, remind them to:

• Look to the rear of the school bus before they step off the bottom step. The Pupil Transportation Safety Institute tell us that more and more driverss are passing stopped school buses on the right shoulder — where the door is.

• Take five giant steps straight out the bus door and out of the danger zone.

• Make sure you have eye contact with the driver and wait for the driver to signal you before you cross in front of the bus.

• Never go back for anything you have left on the bus.

• Never bend down near or under the bus.

School buses are one of the safest forms of transportation in the United States. More than 42,000 people are killed in traffic crashes on U.S. roads annually. Every year, approximately 450,000 public school buses travel about 4.3 billion miles to transport 23.5 million children to and from school and school-related activities. Yet, on average, every year, six school age children throughout the U.S. die in school bus crases as passengers. (Source: Iowa State Patrol)

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Stuck in traffic? See an accident or fire on your way to work? Drop us an e-mail at newsroom@qctimes.com or give us a call at (563) 383-2235 if you see breaking news such as house fires, traffic accidents and road conditions, street closures/detours and water main breaks in the Quad-City region.