A pedestrian corridor will connect the North Gate area to the core of campus, but it will be several years before construction begins.The Louisiana Board of Regents approved plans March 25 to fund the pedestrian walkway, said Meg Casper, Board of Regents associate commissioner for public affairs. “This is an effort to improve pedestrian safety on the north side of campus by constructing a pedestrian corridor, which will facilitate a separation between pedestrians and vehicles,” said Jason Soileau, assistant director for the Office of Facility Development.This project will enable students to walk a 12-foot-wide, .33-mile-long corridor, which will include pedestrian lighting and street trees to reduce heat and better define the path.  “This project will provide a clear delineation between the existing roadway and the pedestrian route,” Soileau said. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development granted the University funds for the pedestrian corridor through the 2009 DOTD Transportation Enhancement program, a federally funded cost-reimbursable program. The state of Louisiana will provide 95 percent of the project’s eligible construction expense — nearly $300,000 — through a DOTD program using state and privately sponsored funds.The University is responsible for funding the remaining 5 percent of funding, as well as all of the design and testing costs. The design costs haven’t yet been funded. The state accepted the University’s application in November 2009, and the University Board of Supervisors passed a resolution accepting the funds in January 2010. The University has obtained the required environmental clearance, Soileau said. Construction is not expected to begin until summer 2012 based on previous experience with DOTD, Soileau said.”We’ve had great luck with this program,” Soileau said. “We’ve funded at least five University projects through the Enhancement program in the past.”The University has worked to make campus more pedestrian-friendly through projects like Easy Streets II and has successfully secured funds for nearly 4 miles of on-campus pedestrian sidewalks since 2002.  “The North Gate area has exploded to a large residential area, and many students walk to campus,” Soileau said. “We’re concerned for pedestrian safety because there aren’t many sidewalks. Our goal is to provide them a safe means of transportation.”—-Contact Sabrina Trahan at [email protected].