The Triangle

Issue date: 8/6/10 Section: News

Media Credit: Sarah Michelson Race Street is in the process of being converted to Race Walk as part of the first phase of construction for the North Campus Mall project, according to Robert Francis, vice president of University Facilities. Francis said the entire project will take four phases. Phase 1 is set to finish by September.

The constant noise of machines and construction workers can be heard from almost any part of campus, and the most prominent source of that noise is currently coming from the North Campus Mall, the area near the freshman dorms.

A few weeks ago, an e-mail was sent out to Drexel students and staff announcing that construction would commence July 26 on Phase I in the development of the North Campus Mall.

According to Vice President of University Facilities Robert Francis, there are multiple components of construction in the North Campus

Mall project.

"It will take four phases to accomplish, and the first piece of it is to convert Race Street effectively into Race Walk," Francis said.

The rest of the project entails the University's plans to extend and improve the green space behind the Daskalakis Athletic Center to Ross Commons and Powelton Avenue.

The multiple phases in the project include eliminating the roads that cut through this area and converting them into walks, such as the already completed Lancaster Walk and the soon-to-be-completed Race Walk.

In addition to the creation of Race Walk, this phase of construction will also include the installation of new trees along the curb lines, new lighting to define the perimeters and new paving for easy emergency access.

Pedestrians will be able to travel around the perimeter of the area. Also, the Northside Dining Terrace and student access to it will remain largely unaffected by the construction. The scheduled hours will not change.

"It looks like they just sectioned off a big area, so far," Alia Davis, a junior design and merchandising major, said. "We had to walk around it to get into Chick-fil-A in the Northside Dining Terrace, but it wasn't a big deal."

Continued...

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