The construction of the dorms in addition to an unexpected roundabout have caused many students to ask what the future of the campus, and parking, will look like. Campus Architect Matthew Newman, the director behind these projects, hopes to answer some of these questions and concerns.
The discussion behind the dorms and parking first began when the Union lot was slated for demolition as construction began. From committees to student government campaigns, parking has dominated the student dialogue around campus concerns the past two years.
This came to a head when a roundabout was unexpectedly announced to replace the long-standing stoplight by the current dorms.
When asked why this roundabout was built Newman said, “To improve pedestrian safety, traffic calming, and level of service for vehicular traffic.” He went on to claim that, “roundabouts have been proven as an effective countermeasure to improve safety for both pedestrian and vehicular traffic.”
As far as concerns regarding the safety of students who may “take the path of least resistance” and cross through the roundabout, Newman assured that, “the project includes roadway design elements such as fencing, raised splashguard curbs, plantings and signage intended to gide pedestrians to safe crossing areas, A HAWK pedestrian crossing signal, like the 19th Street and Grand Avenue signal, will be installed at the Sorority Row and 15th Street intersection. All crosswalks include area of refuge islands between traffic lanes, signage, and wider sidewalks designed to accommodate both pedestrian and bicycle use.”
Shifting over to the dorms themselves, “construction is on schedule, We are in the peak of construction activities with between 400 and 500 workers on site each day. The tower cranes that have marked the Laramie skyline will soon be disassembled as roofing installation completes,” Newman shared on the progress and timeline of the project
Further going into exciting and notable features of the dorms to get students excited, Newman noted, “The new residence halls have been designed as living-learning environments with integrated classrooms, study rooms, tutoring rooms, and a faculty apartment located in each building. The main floor of each building includes a large living room, community kitchen, multipurpose classroom, gaming space, and laundry facilities. The new dining hall is an 850 seat facility with serving platforms and seating areas on two levels. A bakery and coffee shop will be located in the main lobby.”
On the topic of the old dorms, “The campus master plan envisions the existing halls to be decommissioned and deconstructed once replacement beds have been constructed.”
Newman also added that their biggest challenge thus far has been sandstone procurement. With a requirement of 180,000 square feet of sandstone, the project was a heavy ask.
Newman finished off by encouraging students to visit the UW operations site for info on projects and said that students are free to reach out to him at any time.
