Editorial note: Our family left for Topsail High School at 6:45 a.m. – our students didn’t step out of the car until 7:45 a.m., requiring an hour to travel fewer than 3.5 miles. Dozens of locals reported the same across Facebook groups and social media. Below is a round-up of what you saw, why the current plan isn’t working near the high school, and what needs to change — fast.
Reader Reports from This Morning
“Currently bumper-to-bumper through Hampstead until you get past the high school. Just FYI for anyone heading north.”
“Took an hour and a half when it normally takes 35 minutes. That was around 6:45–7 a.m.”
“Took me 46 minutes to get from 210/17 at Food Lion to Country Club.”
“It took me 45 minutes from my driveway off Sloop Point to the Go Gas.”
“Is this going to happen three times a day with the new bell schedule?” / “Mostly twice a day, but three separate clusters for morning.”
“If they hadn’t changed high school drop-off to turn in at the middle school, it might have gone better.”
“I’d like to know since when the turning lane became lane three for the over-privileged.”
Note: Quotes are lightly edited for clarity and anonymized from public discussions to protect their respective authors who’re active in local Facebook groups.
The Flashpoints
Topsail High School Choke Point
Routing car riders via the middle school entrance created a single, slow queue that spilled onto US-17 and grew worse as Topsail Elementary, and later, Topsail Middle welcomed their students for the first day of school.
Traffic Lights & Signal Timing
Morning reports describe long red phases and blocked approaches between 6:30–8:15 a.m., compounding backups.
Behavior in the Queue
Too frequently, entitled drivers sought the use of the center turn lane and construction shoulders to “skip” lines, blocking intersections, and late merges made things worse for everyone.
Staggered Bell Schedule Updates
Parents flagged overlapping start times that produce multiple morning surges instead of one managed window.
What Officials Need to Change
Publish a Revised Car-Rider Map
Ideally, one that stages longer queues on campus (not US-17), separates buses from parent traffic, and restores a direct Topsail High School entrance if feasible.
Retime Signals for School Rush
Working the traffic lights on a fixed plan from 6:30–8:30 a.m. and 2:30–4:30 p.m. can help flush traffic in the morning; and balance for dismissal.
Staff Key Intersections
Help prevent center-lane passing, keep intersections clear, and enforce no-turn zones. Several police vehicles were observed tucked into bushes around the Topsail High School Campus, frustrating locals further.
Stagger Bells
Reconsider first and second bell times across elementary, middle, and high schools by 10–15 minutes to flatten the surge windows.
Daily Comms for Week One
Rather than sending a late-night message the evening before, school officials could’ve done better to communicate key changes and anticipate the excessive issues drivers and students faced.
What We Can Do as Drivers
Be patient and predictable: Don’t use the center-turn or construction lanes to jump the line; don’t block intersections or driveways.
Follow the campus pattern: Staff can only move cars efficiently if everyone uses the same route.
Consider buses or carpools: While officials retime signals, flows, and adjust routing this week.
Report delays on Waze: So our local neighbors can reroute or at least plan ahead before leaving home for work or school.
Local Groups = Real-Time Intel
For day-to-day conditions, the Hampstead Traffic Facebook group has been extremely active. Neighborhood groups and school PTAs also post timely updates — so we encourage using them to plan your departure time and route.
Make Your Voice Heard
If this morning cost you an hour (or more), tell officials both respectfully and specifically. Share the time you left, where you queued, and where traffic stalled. Ask for a written response on signal timing, routing, and staffing.
Contact:
- Pender County Schools – Transportation / Topsail High leadership (routing, on-campus queues)
- NCDOT Division 3 – Signal timing and lane control on US-17
- Pender County Sheriff’s Office – School-zone enforcement & intersection control
Copy-and-send starter:
I experienced a [X-minute] delay reaching Topsail High today between [time] and [time]. The queue spilled onto US-17, and the signal phases at [intersection] repeatedly blocked the approach. Please share what changes will be made this week to (1) retime signals during school rush, (2) stage car-rider queues on campus, and (3) stagger start times to reduce the surge. Thank you for a prompt public update.
Updates: Reader Reports
Today’s snapshot: Many reported 40–90 minute delays between 6:30–8:00 a.m., with the longest queues near the middle-school turn-in. Multiple notes about center-lane passing and blocked intersections.
- “Hour and a half for a 35-minute drive.”
- “46 minutes from 210/17 Food Lion to Country Club.”
- “Three morning clusters with the new bell schedule.”
- “Quicker by boat” and “hope you have a helicopter” were the jokes — point taken.
Have details (time, route, photos)? Send them to topsailguide@gmail.com and we’ll add representative, anonymized notes here.
Today wasn’t just “first-day jitters.” The routing and signal plan near the high school failed under a predictable surge. Fixes are available—now it’s on agencies to coordinate and communicate quickly, and on all of us to drive safely while they do.