Reporters may contact: Gary Shultz
gshultz@mail.smu.edu
SMU Web Communications
(214) 768-7665

Jan. 18, 2000

THREE NEW STRUCTURES TO HELP RELIEVE PARKING WOES

DALLAS (SMU) — Convenient parking will be at a premium at Southern Methodist University for about 18 more months as SMU continues an ambitious building program that will enhance the quality of facilities for students, faculty and staff.

"We will start to see parking relief by the fall 2000 semester and more convenient parking across campus will be realized by summer 2001," said Jim Koons, associate vice president for Campus Planning and Plant Operations, whose office is coordinating the design and construction activities.

"In the interim," Koons continued, "we may not always be able to park as close to our classrooms and offices as we would prefer. The university is going through an aggressive construction period, and parking disruptions are necessary in order to develop sites and complete the program. While many people are impacted by the disruptions, most have been very understanding and are focused on the benefits to be realized."

As the spring 2000 semester begins, construction will have its newest impact on the area surrounding Airline Road and University Boulevard. Construction’s effects include:

  • The eastern half of Lot D in front of Fondren Science will be closed beginning Jan. 24 to make way for construction of the Dedman Life Sciences Building. Many of those now assigned to Lot D will be reassigned to Bishop Boulevard.
  • Airline Road will be closed between University and Daniel Avenue through Thursday, Jan. 20, for utility installations. Airline likely will be closed again later this year while the City of University Park installs a new storm drain.
  • Parking lots on the west side of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority house and Panhellenic House One have been closed to make way for construction of a roadway linking Airline with Daniel. Motorists are asked not to attempt to use the road right-of-way or park in the area while the roadway is under construction.
  • Traffic flow in the vicinity of Daniel and Airline, as well as Airline and University, will be severely restricted occasionally over the next few months while utilities are installed in those intersections.

Two new parking structures — with a combined total of more than 1,000 spaces — are due to open by September 2000. The completion of a third, 500-car structure near the SMU School of Law in summer 2001 will bring the overall number of available parking spaces up to acceptable levels, said Koons.

All or portions of several parking lots close to the university’s interior have been — or soon will be — eliminated to make way for building sites and new roadways. New parking structures will replace the lost parking spaces and increase the overall number of spaces. Those who have been displaced are asked to park in Lot W-5 in the southeast corner of the campus or in the all-university lot on the southwest corner of Dyer Street and Airline.

Following is a description and timeline of construction projects affecting SMU:

NEW ROADS

The City of University Park will build two road projects directly affecting the SMU campus. The city anticipates completing the projects by September 2000. They are:

  • Airline Road-Daniel Avenue connection - a short roadway that begins at University Boulevard and Airline Extension and arches northwesterly to connect with Daniel east of the Airline-Daniel intersection. Construction is expected to begin in February. This project has meant the temporary elimination of Lots Q and Q-3, west and northwest, respectively, of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority house. Those who have used these lots may use the parking structure at Airline and SMU Boulevard, the W-5 Lot on Airline Road south of the Dedman Center, or the All-University Lot south of Dyer Street between Fraternity Row and Airline.
  • Airline Road-Dublin Street connection - a short roadway that will begin on Airline north of Potomac Avenue and cross Lot W-5 to connect with Dublin. This will allow a section of Airline south of Binkley to become a pedestrian mall. It will also make it easier for motorists to travel northward along the east side of the SMU campus. Construction of this roadway will temporarily affect the amount of parking spaces available in Lot W-5.

 

NEW PARKING STRUCTURES

  • Construction of a 526-space parking structure under the new Meadows Museum continues on schedule and is expected to be ready for use by mid-August 2000. In addition to the spaces in the parking structure, there will be about 70 street-level spaces around the museum.
  • Construction of a new 500-space parking structure at Airline and Daniel, known as Parking Garage #5, is expected to be completed in mid-August. Long-range plans on who will use the garage are being discussed, but in the short term Law School students and faculty are expected to be assigned some spaces there while a parking structure is being built near the Law School.
  • Construction of a new 500-space parking structure next to the Law School at Hillcrest and Daniel is expected to begin in June 2000 and be completed by summer 2001. This structure is known as Parking Garage

 

NEW BUILDINGS

  • Dedman Life Sciences Building — Relocation of utilities that serve Fondren Science Building and the new Dedman Life Sciences Building is currently underway. Construction of the Dedman Life Sciences Building will start in February 2000 and be completed in fall 2001. It will be available for classes starting in spring 2002.
  • Gerald J. Ford Stadium and Paul B. Loyd Jr. All-Sports Center — Construction is on schedule with final completion expected in August 2000.
  • Meadows Museum — Construction of both the parking structure and the museum are on schedule. The parking structure will be completed by August 2000 and the museum by March 2001.
  • Jerry R. Junkins Electrical Engineering Building — The schematic design of the building is now being prepared, and construction is expected to begin in spring 2001. It is anticipated that the building will be finished and ready for classes by fall 2002.

Subcontractors working on the stadium and museum projects are parking in the southern half of Lot W-5. During peak construction periods, more than 200 construction workers’ cars may be parked there.

Students, faculty and staff are urged to use car pools and mass transit whenever possible to help reduce congestion. They may also park in Lot W-5 if the lot they normally use is full or has been closed.

SMU's Office of News and Information provides regular updates on the progress of SMU construction projects, as well as other projects that are being planned. The office makes every effort to notify the campus when elements of projects affect daily routines or operations. If you have questions, please contact Gary Shultz of SMU News and Information at (214) 768-7665 or by e-mail at gshultz@mail.smu.edu. Information also is available on SMU's web site at http://www.smu.edu/~newsinfo.
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