August 27, 2001
Changes for S.Kilgo, Mizell Bridge By Michael Terrazas
mterraz@emory.edu |
Over Labor Day weekend, Facilities Management will restripe South Kilgo
Circle near the Carlos Museum, making the stretch of road two-way and
reversing the flow of traffic across Mizell Bridge, according to construction
manager David Horne. The reason for the project, Horne said, is a recent structural study
revealed that the bridge, which dates to the 1920s, has experienced continued
deterioration and no longer is safe for vehicles over 4 tons. Since trucks
must be able to reach the museums loading dock, and the only alternative
was to do reinforcements to the bridge itself, funding considerations
dictated the restriping of South Kilgo. Presently a one-way thoroughfare from the Rich Building to the museum,
Mizell Bridge will remain one-way but in the other direction. A turnaround
will be fashioned near the museum loading dock. The move will eliminate the street-parking spaces along South Kilgo bordering
the Baker Woodlands; the spaces closest to the Quadrangle will remain,
and some will be reclassified to accommodate the carpool spaces that will
be lost on the other side of the road. Horne said signage in the area
will be reconfigured to inform drivers of the changes. Hector Morales, capital program manager for FM, said more changes may
be in store for Mizell Bridge, but funding availability will dictate what
those changes are. The bridge could be reinforced to make it safe for
heavier vehicles, or it could be converted to a pedestrian-only walkway. Elsewhere around the central campus, Morales said the Science 2000Phase
II and performing arts center projects have completed the work that affects
vehicular traffic adjacent to those sites. Morales added that, after being
closed all summer, the pedestrian walkway from the Rollins Research Building
across the bridge over the railroad tracks was to reopen this past weekend,
and an Open Space project near Longstreet Hall and behind the Dobbs Center
should be completed within a week or two. Morales said he does not expect any other capital projects on the central campus to affect vehicular or pedestrian traffic. |