Campus Drive closure starts on Saturday

Signs, police officers and physical barriers will remind motorists of the university's plan to close a section of Campus Drive to private vehicles for eight weeks starting this Saturday, officials said, but some students remain unhappy with the idea of restricting access to the roadway.

From June 19 through Aug. 13, the university will shut off the street from Cole Field House to the "M" traffic circle to test a component of the university's long-term plans that calls for turning that stretch of roadway into a pedestrian plaza.

"The closure has been on the master plan for over 20 years, and instead of updating it like we did all the other years, we decided to take action," Associate Vice President for Facilities Management Frank Brewer said, noting that Saturday's closure is only part of a pilot program.

"We're following the ‘crawl before you walk' philosophy," Brewer said. "If the plan is successful, then we might pick an academic semester to try out."

In April, officials announced plans to close the road to all through traffic, then scaled back their plan last month to allow buses to use the road during the first four weeks of the closure. Motorists can also access the University Health Center in an emergency.

Concrete barriers will narrow the entrance to Campus Drive but will allow buses and emergency vehicles access to the roadway, according to University Police Capt. Laura Dyer, who is managing the public safety response to the closure. Small plastic barriers that buses and emergency vehicles can barriers that buses and emergency vehicles can drive over will also be installed, she added.

To prepare the university community for the new traffic pattern, Facilities Management has posted signs around the campus warning drivers to seek alternate routes. There are other signs that will guide motorists to Route 193 or Route 1, Dyer said.

"We have signs up near all the entrances of the university announcing the closure," Brewer said. "They've been up for over 10 days, and we're continuing to put up signs."

Dyer said University Police will likely direct motorists to Regents, Paint Branch or Preinkert drives, depending on their destination.

Motorists who overlook or forget the signs will face police officers and concrete barriers redirecting them away from Campus Drive on Saturday, officials said.

Police presence at Campus Drive will likely decrease over time, Dyer said.

"Based on past experience, it'll probably be three days until people change their habits," Brewer said. "We're not anticipating violators."

Drivers who do use Campus Drive during the closure period — except on July 4, when the road will be open to all traffic — may face a ticket, Dyer said.

Police will maintain a "patrolling area" around Campus Drive throughout the eight weeks, Dyer added.

But despite the university's preparations and its explanation for its plan, the upcoming closure is coming "out of the blue" to junior government and politics major Nathalie Karpati.

"It's the very artery of campus — the heartbeat of the system and the main transportation line," Karpati said. "They never gave a reason for why they're closing Campus Drive."

Throughout the closure period, Campus Drive will be served by two Shuttle-UM Campus Connector routes. Metrobuses will still be running normally Saturday but will be rerouted around Comcast Center after four weeks.

It will be more difficult for motorists throughout the eight-week closure, said Alex Mackel, a senior criminal justice major.

"Speaking as a commuter, you're canceling the main entrance of campus and making it more difficult for me to get to my lot," Mackel said.

Not all students disapprove of the university's plan. Senior kinesiology major Cina Karodeh said the closure will be "constraining" but adds, "I could walk more easily to classes. Right now, I don't expect cars to wait for me, and they can really slow me down."

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