Friday, December 26, 2008

The UT Dallas campus will be changing while students enjoy their long winter’s naps

While cool cat students are away, those construction-mad mice will play. (And close down roads and walkways in the process.)

By Pegasus News wire

There's a lot of renovation and construction going on in and about the campus of the University of Texas at Dallas campus these days, and during the winter break between semesters work crews will be feverishly accelerating the process while those pesky students are absent from the scene.

Hopefully, so much progress will be made over the holidays that students returning to campus in January will notice some big changes. (They for sure will notice the changes involving road and parking lot closures.)

As previously noted, plans call for a user-friendly grounds-scaping overhaul, in addition to a makeover of the Founders building and construction of a new Math, Science, Engineering and Teaching Learning Center. With all this in the works, there were bound to be growing pains looming for students and others visiting campus. Here's a rundown on the hubbub, as it will be affecting driving, walking and building access:

Driving:

* Safety precautions will require closing Rutford Road. Use during the spring semester will be limited to buses, emergency and service vehicles, and personally owned vehicles accessing handicap spaces.

* Roads on the southern end of campus will also be affected. Construction of a traffic circle will affect visitors entering campus on University Parkway. The work will block access to Drive A, portions of which will disappear entirely as part of the campus enhancement project.

* Drivers going north on University Parkway will have the option of turning west into Lot J behind the Activity Center or veering to the northeast along Armstrong Drive. A temporary information booth will be set up for visitors needing help. The existing information booth will be removed to make way for the traffic circle.

Parking:

* Continued construction on the Dining Hall Addition west of the Student Union will close Parking Lot K. New parking spots are available east of the School of Management in the newly opened Lot Q, which has spaces for 200 cars.

* There will also be a new lot behind the Multipurpose Building – for administrators, VIP visitors and visitors with disabilities. The spaces there will be assigned.

* Emphasis has been made on increasing the available parking for drivers with disabilities.

Getting around the mall:

* For all of spring semester, pedestrians will not be able to enter the Student Union from the east-side doors. The building will be accessible from the north and south entrances only.

* Pedestrians may have to change their routes to McDermott Library as well. Entrances from the mall will be closed. The main entrance will be from the north side near Lot G.

* Despite the construction, the central part of campus will have east-west crossing points at Library Plaza, near the current location of Drive A, and between Lot J and SOM.

Building access:

* A continued makeover of the Founders building will be noticeable from the outside. A construction fence will keep students from entering on the ground floor. Only the building’s third floor, which will be accessible via sky bridge, will be open for use.

* A disused building will be leveled to make way for the University’s new Math, Science, Engineering and Teaching Learning Center. That building is slated for demolition the week of Jan. 12.

posted by JM

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