Lindon Police Chief Mike Brower said they’ve been told to expect 300,000 to 500,000 visitors over the open house’s monthlong period from March 12 to April 11, if not more.

As previously reported, Lindon City set up a traffic plan to meet the heavy volume of visitors expected. Brower said the city has learned from other recent open houses what to do, but Lindon has an additional hurdle that makes building its traffic plan particularly important: There are three elementary schools and one junior high that fall along the route to the temple.

“The unique part about this one is the number of schools along that main Center Street route,” he said. “Other local locations didn’t have to deal with that. So that’s why we’re kind of stepping up some of our planning related to safety and traffic flow there.”

The open house will run Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., excluding April 4. Lindon’s proposed routes for nonschool drop-off and pick-up times ask visitors from the north to turn left onto Center Street from State Street and drive directly east to the parking entrance, and visitors from the south to turn right from State Street onto 200 South, then left onto 100 East and right onto Center Street to reach the parking lot.

However, during school drop-off times from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. and pick-up times from 2 to 3:45 p.m., an alternative route is suggested for visitors entering from the north by turning left from State Street onto 400 North, then left onto 400 East and left onto Center Street.

“We’re just trying to get the message out to have people avoid Center Street during the school pickup and drop-off hours,” Brower said.

Lindon City will also have two crossing guards at each school in the afternoons to help with traffic, according to Brower, and volunteers at the temple site will direct drivers to leave to the east to avoid additional Center Street congestion. Signs will be up to help direct temple traffic.

“We’ll hopefully have enough to protect the kids and parents dropping off, but it will be congested. … Hopefully people will follow instructions and help us out a little bit that way,” Brower said.