If you visit the Boise State campus this fall, you are likely to run into some construction. Three separate projects are disrupting the flow of traffic on University Drive. At times, parts of the street are down to a single lane with flaggers directing traffic.
Jared Everett is with Campus Planning and Facilities. One project will link Boise’s geothermal heating system to the University.
“While these projects provide some short-term frustration, the lower cost energy, the more sustainable energy and the safety improvements will benefit the University for many years down the road.”
The other two projects include a traffic light at Earle Street and University Drive – that’s considered an essential safety measure. United Water is also replacing water mains along the busy thoroughfare.
But the fall semester is the busiest time on campus. Footballs games, events at the Morrison Center and a larger student population can snarl traffic. So why are all of these projects happening now?
“At the end of the day, the University is not the contracting agency for the work and we aren’t necessarily in control or able to dictate what those schedules are," Everett says. "So we have done our best to work with these other agencies, with their projects, and to have them done at times that we felt minimized impacts to the University.”
Everett says the water main project should wrap up by the middle of next week. The signal at Earle Street will go in in five to six weeks, right before winter weather sets in. Everett’s office is working with the Ada County Highway Department to schedule the re-paving project for next summer, when Boise State is less busy.
Copyright 2012 Boise State Public Radio