Construction and maintenance on campus continue to mold the vision of a more cohesive, user-friendly campus.
Campus projects this semester included an initiative for a better road system, new buildings and deferred maintenance.
The Daily Reveille reported in March the University’s plan to add safer sidewalks to Highland Road. This has already begun with the Barnes and Noble courtyard separating pedestrians from traffic, complete with LED lighting, said Dennis Mitchell, assistant director of master planning and site development for Facility Services.
Mitchell said this model will eventually extend from West Chimes Street to the south end of campus.
A roundabout initiative also serves as a major improvement planned for campus, Mitchell said.
The roundabout on Dalrymple Drive, which Mitchell said has improved the flow of traffic around the University Laboratory School, was added at the beginning of the semester, Mitchell said. Another roundabout is planned for Nicholson Extension and Highland Road, enabling left turns on to Highland Road from Nicholson Extension.
The Daily Reveille reported in January the construction on various new buildings on campus.
Two new residence halls under construction near Kirby Smith Hall will open starting in fall 2015, said Roger Husser, director of planning, design and construction for Facility Services, in January.
Husser said the Animal and Food Science Laboratory Building on Forestry Lane will mainly house research. The building is complete but not yet occupied.
Renovations to existing buildings also continue.
The $8 million Student Union renovation is slated for completion by next fall, Husser said.
Expansion and renovation of the UREC is slated to begin late spring, Husser said, and the lot between the UREC and the Lod Cook Alumni Center is currently closed off for construction.
The Daily Reveille reported in February details of Tiger Stadium’s south end expansion.
Scheduled for completion Sept. 6, the first gameday of fall 2014, the expansion will add 3,000 club seats and 1,500 general admission seats to the stadium, said Emmett David, senior associate director of Tiger Athletics.
Deferred maintenance appeared this semester in the form of asbestos in the steam tunnels under campus.
The Daily Reveille reported in January a project by Facility Services to clean the tunnels of asbestos within three weeks.