Message to Campus Community from Pete Sala

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

With the end of the school year behind us, the start of summer is here at Syracuse University. While some of us are headed home or are ready to embark on a variety of summer activities, many of you will remain here on campus for the summer months.

With that in mind, I write today to inform you that a number of campus improvement projects, all of which are designed to align the University’s Academic Strategic Plan with its physical framework, will begin in the coming weeks, and will have some impact on pedestrian and car traffic.

In particular, plans are underway to transform University Place into a dynamic pedestrian promenade. This promenade will connect a series of plazas, including Bird Library, the Schine Student Center and the Newhouse School complex. Once complete, it will transform the area from a congested thoroughfare to a pedestrian-friendly promenade featuring activated plazas, improved landscaping, increased ADA accessibility and a greater sense of physical connectedness for all members of the campus community.

In preparation for the project, a large portion of University Place—from College Place to South Crouse Avenue—will be closed beginning Tuesday, May 31, to all vehicular traffic, with the exception of police, fire, emergency and maintenance vehicles. Traffic will be rerouted as a result, and comprehensive signage communicating detours will be prominently displayed. While this work might affect the route some of you take to your parking lots, only the Quad 2 Lot will be closed for a portion of this project.  A new drive lane to the Quad 2 Lot from College Place will be immediately constructed, and open in mid-June. Each individual who parks in Quad 2 has already been personally notified of this change. Access to all other parking lots will remain the same.

Additionally, beginning Friday, June 3, existing bus routes that utilize University Place will be rerouted to Comstock Avenue and Waverly Avenue. Prior to the closure of University Place, curbside signage will be installed at both the new and existing bus stop locations. Further information will be distributed about the bus route changes and can be found on the Centro website.

Ensuring accessible routes during construction is very important. Therefore, during the Quad 2 Lot construction, accessible access to Link Hall will be available through Slocum Hall. Also, a temporary sidewalk will be installed at the accessible entry to Lyman Hall during construction to allow for the installation of a permanent accessible walkway. Signage will be prominently displayed. If you have any questions regarding accessibility, please contact Aaron Hodukavich, Director and ADA Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity, Inclusion and Resolution Services, at 315-443-2377 or ajhoduka@syr.edu.

I recognize many of you will be temporarily affected by this work, but I am pleased to inform you that these summer projects will essentially be complete by Monday, August 22, well before the start of the new academic year.

I want to thank you now for your patience, understanding and flexibility as these projects get underway. These projects advance the goals established by the Campus Framework Advisory Group, including supporting academic excellence, enriching all aspects of student life and creating a vibrant campus setting.

My team and I are excited to get started on these projects, but as always, we welcome and encourage your feedback. Also, please be sure to visit our website regularly over the next several months. We will provide ongoing updates and progress reports on this project and other improvement work being done on campus this summer.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about this phase of construction, please don’t hesitate to contact Jim Blum, project manager, at jpblum@syr.edu. And, if you have any questions about parking, please call Parking and Transit Services at 315-443-4652.

Sincerely,

Pete Sala
Vice President & Chief Campus Facilities Officer