Students utilizing the main walkway of the campus may be inconvenienced by construction in the near future, but in the end it will greatly improve the aesthetics along the way.
The project, deemed the “walking mall,” will help not only to improve, but also unite the chief walkway, what David McKenna refers to as the “main artery” of the campus, into a continuous walk with a look that is both unified and unique.
The construction that began at the Wathena Temple and Sowers Education South building was the first phase of a three phase project that will provide students with a “unique, well-lit and pedestrian friendly walkway,” David McKenna, director of administrative services and interim head of facilities, said.
Phase One of the project is headed by We Build Construction Company of Paris and will consist of repairing the sidewalks and redoing the stamped concrete on each side of the walkway up to the Journalism Building.
The second phase of the project will begin near the Education South Building, where Phase One left off. Construction will continue from there, go behind the Industrial Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Building, and end at the crosswalk on University Drive.
In Phase Two they will not only be repairing the walkway and adding the stamped concrete to both sides to create a more uniformed look, but they also plan to extend the lighting. The lamps in front of the Education South building will stay where they are, but new lamps will be added at equal intervals along the sidewalk to University Drive. The lamps that currently reside on the side of the walkway will be removed.
Phase Three will start where phase one and two meet, from the benches under the oak tree, adjacent to the statue of the sitting lion, and will continue past the Halladay Student Services Building and end at the James G. Library parking lot. They will also be redoing the library steps leading from this main walkway.
The plan is to get started on phase one and two this spring semester so that phase three can be tackled during the summer, when there is less traffic on campus so as to cause as little hassle to students as possible.
The project deemed the “walking mall” will make the arduous task of trekking across campus less of a labor and more of a delight
“It’ll really create a nice look and interior pathway through campus that I think will look great,” McKenna said.
Once construction is completed, landscaping options will be looked at more closely, including adding grass and trees to barren areas, as well as additional landscaping options to cover up unseemly areas, such as the duct behind Wathena Temple.
Construction for Phase One will cost the university a total $200,000. Bids are pending for the other two phases, so no idea yet as to what the total cost of the “walking mall” will be once completed.