Despite some delays in December, the Central Avenue Safety Improvement Project is on track for a Fall 2014 completion, according to Tony Poteet, assistant vice president for Campus Planning and Design.
The project calls for new sidewalks on the south side of Central Avenue and a new four-way intersection at Zach Curlin Street. It will also include the construction of a new center median on Central Avenue and new sidewalks on the north side of the street.
The project will also include the installation of a fence to funnel pedestrian traffic to the crosswalks to prevent people from jay walking across the busy street.
"We had some other delays, particularly last month," Poteet said. "It will be finished this fall. I would not promise before school but probably late fall."
Poteet declined to say what the delays were but he said they would not delay the completion of the entire project.
In August, the University announced the start of the first phase of the project, which includes the new Zach Curlin Street intersection and sidewalk on the south side of Central Avenue. According to a University news release issued on Aug. 29, the first phase was to start in September and take four to five months.
As of January, the only evidence of the project was some traffic cones near the Central Avenue and Zach Curlin Street intersection. The second phase, which was the new median, was to start early this year, while the third phase - the sidewalk on the north side of Central Avenue - was to start this spring.
Poteet said the total price of the project is estimated to top $1.3 million.
While some students like the idea of the project, others say the money should be used elsewhere.
"We're in college. I feel like we should be old enough to make our own decisions about where to cross the street," journalism major Anna Joy Batchelor said. "I honestly think the school would be better off spending its money on making more public parking."
Despite some questions about the need, Poteet said the point of the project is to ensure the safety of students who park in the Central Avenue lot and have to cross the busy street to get to buildings on the main campus.
The project has been in the planning stages since 2008, and one major improvement was the addition of the traffic light at Central Avenue and Innovation Drive.
