As construction began on the second half of Phase 1 of SFU’s 2014 Roadway Improvement Project, the plan to replace SFU Burnaby’s 50-year old roads also moved into its second phase on April 28.
Initially estimated to begin in May or June, construction on Phase 2 officially began on Thursday, May 1. This phase, which will overlap with the last half of Phase 1 and first half of Phase 3, will see major reconstruction on Gaglardi Way from the intersection of South Campus Rd northbound to the three-way intersection at University Drive. Construction will therefore involve traffic underneath the transportation center.
Director of parking services, David Agosti, does not anticipate major inconveniences to students. “Phase 2 is just sort of uncomfortable pieces rather than major changes,” he said.
This phase will also involve University Drive from the three-way stop at Arts Road westward to the intersection of West Campus Road, near Residences. Construction on these areas is expected to last until the end of August.
The project was implemented to tackle the growing issue of poor road conditions on SFU’s Burnaby campus; the roads have not been replaced since the university first opened in 1965. Furthermore, the university hopes the improvements will create better pedestrian and cyclist access to campus, make navigation around campus easier, and allow for future development on the west side of campus.
“Phase 2 is just sort of uncomfortable pieces rather than major changes.”
– David Agosti, director, parking services
Phase 1 of the Roadway Improvement Project saw the closure of northbound Gaglardi Way up until South Campus Road, with traffic redirected along University Drive East. According to Agosti, “Everything has been fine. We don’t have any lost buses or anything along those lines. Everything has been happening as anticipated.”
One of the greatest successes of Phase 1, according to Agosti, was the ability to reroute the buses to leave campus via their normal route, despite closing off the residence bus loop. “That made life a lot easier for a lot of the students in residence,” he said.
In order to minimize congestion and traffic complications, Phase 2 will occur in a series of “sub-phases.” Parking services expects there to be at least a half-dozen of these sub-phases, during which one section of the road will be worked on at a time.
This phase should not involve any road closures or significant traffic pattern changes. However, there will likely be single lane traffic, gravel roadways, and the closure of certain access points.
“The down campus buses for a period of a week or two may use that other bus stop adjacent to the library rather than the one adjacent to the island,” said Agosti. However, students will be most affected when Phase 1 ends and or Phase 3 starts.
“When Phase 3 starts, [the residence] bus stop will be out of service because the road will be closed from there down,” said Agosti.
Parking Services expects Phase 1 to end on schedule on July 1, when construction will shift and continue southbound West Campus road all the way to the main Gaglardi intersection for Phase 3. At this time, northbound West Campus road is expected to be open.
