UMD, Slow Down With the Construction

By Jess Nocera on September 15, 2014

Each semester brings new changes. The transition from last semester to this semester at the University of Maryland has brought a lot of change. The most highly anticipated change has to do with Maryland athletics.

After nearly 60 years with the ACC, UMD bid their goodbyes and have now joined the Big Ten. Now the various athletic teams will be up against big named state colleges like Penn State, Ohio State and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. It is safe to assume that is one of the greatest and most well approved changes UMD has made from last semester to the current semester.

With that being said, there has been one change in particular that has not had an overall positive attitude towards it like the Big Ten move: construction. It seems that everywhere a student turns on campus, there is another spot taped off with construction equipment.

But what is all this construction actually doing? Currently there are several small projects scattered around various parts of campus. For example part of the road across from Cole Field House and the Benjamin Building has been ripped up.

However, the most obvious construction project occurring on campus is on Campus Drive. This past June, Shriver Laboratory and part of Holzapfel Hall was torn down. In its place, UMD is building the Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center, that is on track to be completed by December 2016. The Learning Center will be a great asset to the university as it will accommodate 2,000 students to learn in various classroom sizes. Additionally, this is the first new building that is being solely constructed for educational space.

Unfortunately, the construction has caused some transportation issues. The Eastbound lane of traffic on Campus Drive from Union Lane to the M Circle is closed. This part of the road will be closed until December 2016. As a result, the campus buses have drastically changed their bus routes. And this is where the problems set in. For now students have to change their routes, wake up earlier (which everyone knows those five extra minutes of sleep mean the world to college students) or just walk everywhere.

Abby Neft, a sophomore criminology major, voiced her opinions regarding the Campus Drive construction.

“I live in the University View, which is off campus, and so far this year I have found that the bus has been running less frequently than last year,” she said. “So I find myself walking more to and from class and it’s beginning to be time consuming.”

While the construction is only temporary it will be present on campus for several years. Students will just have to keep in mind that the ending projects will be well worth it and greatly benefit the university. It will be interesting to see how the winter months will affect the construction since last winter was a very snowy one at UMD. But only time will tell.

Until then, be sure to always check the bus schedules or just take afternoon strolls to and from class.

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