August 12, 2004
Parking lot project will enhance safety on campus
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A project set to begin next week at Southern Illinois University Carbondale will enhance safety for pedestrians and motorists and offer some relief at one of the campus' most congested locations.
The month-long project will relocate the entrance to parking lot 47, located between the Public Policy Institute and the Neckers Building and across Lincoln Drive from the Engineering Building. The existing entrance, which will remain open until the new entrance is finished, is just a few feet from a crosswalk and that creates congestion.
Construction crews will build the new entrance 300 feet to the west along Lincoln Drive. The new 30-foot-wide entranceway will have three lanes -- one for entry, and a right and left-turn lane for exiting traffic. An existing crosswalk near the new entrance will be removed.
The project will require removal of approximately 22 trees of various species and size. In accordance with the University's tree replacement policy, crews will plant three trees for each one removed in the same quadrant of the campus.
Parking Division officials anticipate minimal loss of spaces in the 170-space lot upon completion of the project.
Promoting campus safety is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the long-range plan for the development of the University by the time it observes its 150th anniversary in 2019.