Flintco, the general contractor working on the pedestrian bridge above Southern Avenue, entered its next construction stage, which closed the street as of April 15.
Flintco, the general contractor working on the pedestrian bridge above Southern Avenue, entered its next construction stage, which closed the street as of April 15. Southern Avenue will not reopen until after the end of the semester.
The construction crew will remove temporary rails and add permanent fencing in the next stage of the project, according to an email sent April 10 by chief operations officer Bruce Harper. Southern Avenue will be closed between Houston and Goodman Streets until May.
In addition to the closing of Southern Avenue, Echles Street will be closed as well, which the University of Memphis frequents have experienced before. It will be closed between Southern and Spottswood Avenues, which could bring more traffic congestion to the area.
“The road closures all depend on safety,†said Tony Poteet from UofM’s campus plan and design. “We do not want to risk working overhead and not closing the street.â€
Poteet said Southern Avenue could be closed again after opening in May, but the number of future road closures has not been determined. Poteet said safety is the project’s priority.
Harper’s email may have created excitement, but the pedestrian bridge is scheduled to open in August, which has been the plan since the construction’s announcement.
“I think they’re working in a timely manner, and I think the work they’re doing is pretty evident,†Poteet said.
Construction above the railroad tracks, which separates the UofM’s main campus and one of the school’s largest parking areas, has caused minor inconveniences to some students.
However, two UofM students said they are indifferent, and sometimes happy about Southern Avenue’s closure.
Lee Scarbrough, a UofM graduate student, does not live on campus but said she is familiar with the area and has gotten used to the construction.
“It doesn’t really bother me because I know the smaller streets,†Scarbrough said. “As long as there’s general parking at the end, then I’m excited for it.â€
Mikayla Cavaness, another UofM student, lives close to the construction area and spoke positively about the process despite having a few noise issues.
“I actually like when the street is closed,†Cavaness said. “It makes walking across it easier. It hasn’t caused me any problems other than noise in the mornings sometimes.â€
Upon the project’s completion, the pedestrian bridge will provide a way across the railroad tracks while a train is passing campus, increased additional parking and an amphitheater.
Despite slower travel for some UofM students, the pedestrian bridge’s benefits and other future facilities appear to outweigh the road closures’ inconvenience, at least according to Scarbrough and Cavaness.
