Road Construction on Jefferson Avenue Affects Campus Pedestrians

By Katie Dusza, News Editor 

Jefferson Avenue is currently under construction in a two-year project to improve traffic flow and update sidewalks from Main St. to Best St. The construction has affected pedestrian and driving patterns for the campus community, and Assistant Vice President for Operations Joseph Snodgrass provided The Griffin with the following information. 

Phase one is underway from Main to Ferry which involves roadbed replacement as well as a sidewalk replacement on the east and west side of Jefferson. Additionally, traffic lanes will be reduced from two lanes to one lane in hopes to calm traffic. The remaining space will be used for street parking on the west side, along with a bike path on the east side of the street. New green space will be added on both sides along with trees and streetlights. There will also be a raised crosswalk across Jefferson at Hughes with flashing warning lights to improve crossing safety for students, replacing the old crossing light which was damaged during winter break. The new crosswalk will serve as a massive speed bump in hopes to slow traffic and improve safety. 

On the east side of Jefferson from Ferry to Blaine, sidewalks are being removed as well as an update to certain underground utilities. Regarding the needs of campus life, the project engineering team is aware of student needs and the importance of keeping student foot traffic accessible. The work will move to the west side of Jefferson in late May, after commencement, to minimize foot traffic. The current plan is to complete the concrete sidewalks and roadbed restoration prior to the beginning of the fall semester. 

Construction vehicles and barriers create a pedestrian detour during ongoing construction along Jefferson Avenue (Mikayla Boyd)