VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) - A school bus got stuck Wednesday in a roundabout that has been under construction for months in Vista, leading to increased frustration from commuters in the rural neighborhood.
The bus got stuck around 7 a.m. in the roundabout on Mar Vista Drive near Avocado Drive, snarling traffic. The bus was on its way to Hanalei Elementary.
Crews have been working months to replace the four-way stop with the roundabout. The City of Vista required K.B. Homes to install the roundabout as part of its approval for a townhome complex just up the road.
But the work has not gone smoothly, neighbors say.
The project was delayed about six weeks after crews discovered utility lines underground, which couldn't be moved.
Instead, the work was modified to build higher curbs. The Fire Department was made aware of the change, but nobody informed trash collectors or the Vista Unified School District, which learned the hard way when its bus got stuck Wednesday morning.
"He just turned and got stuck, backed up, got stuck again, almost like the scene from Austin Powers, he just - back and forth, back and forth," said Andy Meeh, who shot a photo of the incident while waiting in the line of cars.
Meeh said neighbors have complained about the work for months, and on Wednesday, the line to get through backed up in multiple directions. Cars lined up by the dozen back into the neighborhood, and up the hill leading from the 78 freeway.
Greg Mayer, Vista's City Engineer, said the work should be fixed by Friday and that the entire project should be complete by mid-May.
A spokeswoman for the Vista Unified School District said the school buses would be routed away from that roundabout. She said the bus was stuck for about 10 minutes and that nobody was late to school.
