Construction Affects Pedestrian Traffic and Parking

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 17, 2007) − With the fall 2007 semester about to begin, students should be aware of current construction projects that are currently taking place on the University of Kentucky campus, as these projects are affecting pedestrian walkways as well as parking areas.

Replace Steam and Condensate Piping

The sidewalk along the south side of UK Gatton College of Business & Economics will be closed until Friday, Aug. 31. The contractor is currently working 10-hour shifts six days a week to complete this construction as soon as possible. Signs will go up Thursday, Aug. 23, at multiple locations around the Gatton College of Business & Economics and the Mathews Building directing pedestrian traffic around the construction. These signs will also have maps of the area identifying accessible routes and the construction zones to assist in directing pedestrians.  The Disability Resource Center will inform students with disabilities and maintain an access map on the University of Kentucky Web site during construction. The map can be accessed at http://kgsmap.uky.edu/website/AccessMap/viewer.htm

Renovate Third Floor of Lucille Little Fine Arts Library Building

Construction is ongoing on the third floor of the Lucille Caudill Little Fine Arts Library, where there are currently three classrooms in use. The Registrar’s Office has been notified of the construction as well as the schedule for the demolition of the elevator in early September. The demolition of the elevator will impact accessibility to the third floor and portions of the lower level. The first and second floors of the building are used for the Lucille Little Fine Arts Library. The first floor is accessible from the plaza between Little Library and M. I. King Library. Within the library space, a secondary elevator, serving only the first and second floors, will remain in use. Also, a College of Fine Arts computer lab classroom on the lower level has direct access from the outside. The Registrar will relocate classes for the third floor classrooms as needed should there be a faculty or student requiring an elevator.

Boone Center

The first row of the “E” lot directly south of the rear of the Boone Center (accessed off Columbia Avenue) is reserved for construction personnel and signage is posted. No other impact is anticipated.

Student Health Facility

The Student Health Facility is scheduled to be completed in April 2008. It is located at the northeast corner of South Limestone and Rose Street. Sidewalks around the site will be maintained or temporarily relocated during construction activities.

College of Pharmacy

The walkway directly south of the Biomedical/Biological Sciences Research Building (BBSRB), which connects Parking Structure 6 to the Kentucky Clinic, was closed last May and will remain closed for the duration of the project. The project is currently scheduled for completion by 2010.
 

Excavation operations are in progress and will continue through September. Concrete foundations, consisting of some excavation as well, will start early September and continue through March 2008. The location of the construction site is directly north of Leader Avenue and directly west of Limestone where there was once an employee parking lot.

The majority of Leader Avenue has been closed and will remain closed for the duration of the project. There is no vehicular traffic access to Leader via Limestone. There is vehicular access to the west end of Leader Avenue via Press Avenue, however this access is meant only to accommodate the tenants in the occupied apartments along Leader as there is no through traffic.

From Limestone to the west end of the construction site, the sidewalk just south of the BBSRB has been closed. A new sidewalk has been placed to connect the BBSRB service drive to Leader Avenue in order to re-route pedestrian traffic. The sidewalk along the south edge of Leader Avenue will remain open from Press Avenue to Limestone although it will be slightly re-routed around the construction site on the Limestone end. New lighting has been placed to illuminate this walkway.

Pedestrian traffic along the west edge of Limestone will remain open. A covered pedestrian walkway has been constructed along this sidewalk directly adjacent to the construction site.

Construction of the Patient Care Facility

The area between Agricultural Science Center North (Ag North) and the hospital parking garage will be a major construction site for the next three years. During the summer, three pedestrian pathways leading around and through the site to campus will be maintained. As of early October, the pathway through the center of the site will be closed to allow the beginning of excavation of the foundations of the new hospital.  The remaining pedestrian pathways around the perimeter of the site to main campus via Limestone and South Campus via University Drive will be maintained for the duration of the construction period.  Both of these pathways are paved and accessible. 

The contractor is currently working six days a week. Signs have been placed in the lobby of Ag North indicating the pathways for pedestrian traffic around the construction. In addition, the contractor is installing signage along each pathway providing direction and clearly defining the pedestrian pathways. These pathways are to remain in service throughout the project.

Students with residential passes should also note that with the completion of the Memorial Coliseum expansion, approximately 40 parking spaces in the R1 lot (behind Memorial Coliseum) have been regained.