The Philadelphia Electric Company and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation have begun construction at the corner of 33rd and Market streets on Drexel University’s campus, according to Drexel’s Public Safety Department.
Drexel students and staff received a pedestrian and traffic advisory email Feb. 8 from Public Safety, warning of sidewalk closures and providing details for alternative routes around the famous corner home to Mario.
In addition to walking detours, the Drexel University shuttle bus pickup location was moved from north of Market Street near Nesbitt Hall southward to the side entrance of the Papadakis Integrated Science Building on 33rd Street.
Aside from the poor appearance, the detour signs and construction fencing in the middle of a major traffic area have proven difficult for Drexel students.
“You can see it’s very inconvenient, especially for the shuttle bus,” Jiachuan Cui, an accounting student, said. “I don’t know what purpose [it serves].”
While construction around campus is certainly not unfamiliar, the major disruptions to such a central area have students frustrated.
“I think the construction is really annoying — I take the shuttle every morning to go to work and the shuttle got moved because of the construction,” Jarret Berenson, an education student, said. “It costs me time every morning.”
Drexel University’s Public Safety department advises both pedestrians and drivers to travel cautiously and follow all posted signs while construction continues over the next few weeks.
More information about the construction project can be found on the Construction and Traffic Advisories page of Drexel University’s website.