New road to be built on campus

A new road at the University of Richmond is planned for construction during the summer, connecting Spider Lane and Crenshaw Way, to allow traffic to move more fluidly next year.

Crenshaw Way currently connects the Jepson Alumni Center and the Modlin Center for the Arts. Spider Lane, which begins opposite of the intramural fields, ends at the 1900 block of the University Forest Apartments. Next year, the two will merge.

The road's construction was part of an agreed condition, called the Special Use Permit, reached by the university and the city of Richmond to build the new on-campus E. Claiborne Robins Stadium, scheduled for completion in September 2010, said University of Richmond architect, Andrew McBride. Construction of the road will begin shortly after graduation and will be completed before freshmen arrive in August, McBride said.

McBride said access to River Road along UR Drive would also be more fluid. UR Drive will be modified with sweeping turns and speed will be controlled with speed bumps, he said. Currently cars must stop at the top of the hill near the apartments and then again across from the Special Programs building.

Pedestrians will be protected with cross walks and flashing yellow lights, he said.

The road project has taken a year to design and the university hired Draper and Aden Associates, a civil engineering firm. The Board of Trustees approved funding for the road during their December 2009 meeting.

Construction costs about $2.1 million, said Vice President for Business and Finance, Hossein Sadid.

Students remain mostly unaware of the plan for the new road. Steve Bisese, Vice President of Student Development says he wants to get the word out, but "not everyone is going to know everything." Instead, he said students are more concerned about things like ticketing and seating at the new stadium next year.

Contact collegian reporter Keon Monroe at keon.monroe@richmond.edu.