Issue date: 2/12/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Graig Mantle [Click to enlarge]

With construction just completed, two thoroughfares feeding into the university have been opened up, making the drive, walk or bike ride to school less of a hassle.

The intersections of Santa Rosa Street and Highland Drive as well as California and Foothill boulevards opened two weeks ago; construction on the nearby Alex G. Spanos Stadium and the Bella Montana faculty housing complex are still underway. The school and city will continue to make aesthetic and safety improvements to both locations.

As construction began on the new and soon-to-be improved stadium in August 2005, so did improvements on the intersection of California and Foothill boulevards. The street portion of the project was finished Jan. 30.

The completion of this intersection, another option for entering Cal Poly's campus, has "improved, as expected, vehicular circulation," said Cindy Campbell, associate director of the University Police Department.

Future improvements for this intersection will include the installation of a sidewalk and crosswalk at the north end of the stadium, completion of a pedestrian walkway beneath the stadium and new measures for calming traffic.

The additional crosswalk will make it easier for students entering campus from in front of the Business building, Stenner Glen and Mustang Village. The completion of the crosswalk has been pushed back due to weather conditions.

Blen Comer, a civil engineering sophomore and a two-time Mustang Village resident, has made the trek from the student housing complex to campus daily. But for her, the completion of the intersection has provided her with a new source of anxiety.

"Now that it is open, I have to worry about people driving fast. It's more dangerous and more of a hassle," Comer said. "Since construction is completed and the signs are down, people seem to be driving faster than before."

All lanes have been open at the Santa Rosa Street and Highland Drive intersection as of Feb. 2. A center divider on Highland Drive just prior to its intersection with Santa Rosa Street has been added and the street has been widened from two lanes to three.

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