Ordering pizza is about to get a lot easier for students.
LSU is currently conducting a university-wide project that will result in buildings around campus receiving numerical addresses.
LSU Police Department spokesman Capt. Cory Lalonde said the project has been in development for more than a year by multiple departments within the University working with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and East Baton Rouge Parish.
University-owned buildings are currently only identified by a name and number, making it difficult for GPS systems to pinpoint accurate locations across campus.
Lalonde said even though this has never caused a public safety issue, the project would assist outside emergency services like the Baton Rouge Police Department, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, the EBR EMS and the Baton Rouge Fire Department.
The project could also make on-campus food and postal deliveries easier for businesses.
“I think numerical addresses would be a lot more helpful, especially if you don’t know your way around campus without a GPS,” said Justin Williams, a local pizza delivery driver.
Another part of the project aims to improve the accuracy of the existing maps available to have them match with the Geographic Information System, Lalonde said. The GIS captures, manages and displays geographical data in a specific area.
Though this may seem like a straightforward project, Lalonde said there are multiple hurdles designers must overcome before the project reaches completion.
Some buildings, like Middleton Library and other areas in the Quad, are not directly connected to a main road and alternative methods will be required before these buildings can receive a physical address.
Lalonde said another issue is getting the future numbering system used for University-owned buildings to fit within the pre-existing numbering system for East Baton Rouge Parish, as well as coordinating with outside campus parties that maintain and control some of the roads on campus like Nicholson Drive, a state-owned highway, and Highland Road, a parish-owned strip.
Lalonde said designers have updated the campus maps with their plans, the few exceptions being to buildings under construction or recently completed buildings.