The crosswalk linking Rice-Eccles Stadium and lower campus near Presidents’ Circle will soon be eliminated after the completion of a ramp system in the tunnel below. It is estimated that the change will be completed sometime this year.
“UDOT (the Utah Department of Transportation) was a major force in changing this,” said Tom Christensen, a construction manager with campus design and construction. “It was a dangerous situation with people crossing there.”
The crosswalk, originally installed to provide ADA access to the main campus, has created problems for pedestrians and vehicles because students park in the stadium lot and walk to campus via the crosswalk during school hours.
Students will now have to use the underground tunnel to get across South Campus Drive, and improvements to the underpass are being made for pedestrian use, Christensen said
The U has promised to fix the tunnel’s lights, clean up its graffiti and place emergency phones at each end. The U will also make the underpass handicap accessible.
In eliminating the crosswalk, the U will put up a fence and construct curbs without a ramp. There will also be a sign indicating the change.
The cost of this project is approximately $100,000.