Construction season is in full swing, leaving campus a maze of rerouting signs and orange barrels.
Across campus, several streets are closed because of construction projects, some relating to the steam tunnel construction and others relating to building renovations.
Physical Plant Communications Manager Karen Zelt said some of the major road closures affecting campus right now include the steam tunnel construction, which has portions of West Circle Drive, East Circle Drive and Chestnut Road closed off.
The steam tunnel is under repair because portions of it have not been replaced since they first were constructed, according to the MSU Construction website, and if they were to crumble, it could knock out important power sources for parts of West Circle Neighborhood.
The road closures on campus near the Union, Chestnut Road and East Circle Drive will be completed before the start of the fall semester, Zelt said, as those streets are important to students trying to get around campus.
“The West Circle steam loop will not open until the end of summer,” Zelt said. “There may be segments that open up (earlier), depending on how construction progresses.”
However, Zelt also said Chestnut Road closures are scheduled to spread closer to the Red Cedar Road intersection later this summer, and the portion of Chestnut Road between Red Cedar Road and West Shaw Road will be repaved after the repairs.
“In July, there still won’t be a through pass, but you’ll be able to access the Spartan Stadium path from Shaw (Lane) (this summer),” she said.
Zelt said people also should be aware of the road closure on Bogue Street between Shaw Lane and Wilson Road. Because that road has been closed for a while, she said it is likely that people have become accustomed to it, and it will stay closed for the foreseeable future for the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams project. Currently, the project is set to be built by about 2020.
Although she understands that following all of the projects might be difficult, Zelt said she hopes people continue to check the MSU Construction website, as it is updated with dates and rerouting information.
Despite some road closures and sidewalk detours that could be a nuisance for some students, international relations junior Anthony Antonelli said he is understanding of the projects.
He said he would rather all of the construction be done during the summer than when campus is filled with students in the regular semesters.
“It is better to do it before everything is broken than when it is really screwed up,” he said. “It’s annoying, but it needs to be done.”
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