Students trying to find a place to park their bikes near the Quad will have better luck when the University adds new bike racks in the Quad by the end of the semester. A part of Phase I of the bicycle master plan developed by the Campus Planning Office, the bike racks will be erected in the northern section of the Quad, specifically Lockett Hall and Middleton Library.   More than 500 spots will be open for bikes in the Quad when the new bike racks are installed, said Brad Silva, Campus Planning manager. Phase I identified the Quad as the priority district, said Jason Soileau, Office of Facility Development assistant director.”We all felt we needed to address the Quad district first being it’s the central part of campus and also one of the primary classroom areas,” Soileau said. Soileau said the project was originally budgeted at $150,000, however the project came in at $118,000, which allowed the opportunity for more bike racks to be bought. The Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation is funding Phase I.Bids opened for the project Aug. 18, and pre-construction for Phase I is expected to start Sept. 18, Soileau said.Phase II of the bike project will focus on the areas of the Quad not covered by Phase I, and future phases will include other areas on campus. The bike racks planned for the Quad, which are based on the bike rack built between Herget and Miller halls last summer, will be landscaped to blend in with the campus, said Gary Graham, Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation director. “We want something aesthetically nice and not just a slab of concrete,” Graham said.The bike racks are part of an ongoing project to make the University more pedestrian friendly and promote the use of alternative transportation. Brittany Williams, biological sciences senior, uses the bike rack located between Herget and Miller halls and said the new bike racks planned for the campus are a good idea. “If they had more racks, there’d be more bike riders,” Williams said. “With more bike riders on campus, there’d be less cars and more parking for those who still need to drive.” —–Contact Brianna Paciorka at [email protected]