South College Drive to close June 17 to Sept. 6 for athletic field construction

Construction of the multipurpose field on the south side of campus begins in mid-June.

The project includes construction of an all-weather artificial turf field, bleachers, restroom facilities, field lighting, electrical service, utilities and associated facilities.

To address safety concerns and potential cost and time savings, South College Drive will be closed to vehicular and bicycle traffic from the Fairhaven parking lot entrances south to the Bill McDonald Parkway intersection from June 17 through Sept. 6.

The closure will expedite the safe transport of material to and from the site during mass excavation and site restoration. Vehicular access to all south campus parking lots will be maintained except during a brief period when the Fairhaven entry road apron is upgraded in the last week of August.

Pedestrian routes will be maintained on the east side of South College Drive. Pedestrian access to the university tennis courts and softball field complex will remain open through the flag plaza on the west side of South College Drive. Bicyclists will need to use Bill McDonald Parkway or the service road east of Buchanan Towers and Fairhaven as alternate routes.

The contractor will submit a signage and traffic management plan to the city of Bellingham and to the university for approval prior to closure of the road.

Final completion of the field is scheduled for spring 2014.

The decision to close this part of South College Drive was made after soliciting input from various campus groups and determining that no programs/events would be significantly impacted by the temporary closure. Facilities Development and Capital Budget apologizes for the inconvenience and thanks the campus community in advance for their cooperation and caution when driving, bicycling and walking in this area.

Please address any questions or concerns to David Willett, project manager, Office of Facilities Development and Capital Budget at 360-650-6813 or david.willett@wwu.edu.