Residents of Carpenter Tower and Cobeen Hall said they fear the demolition and construction of the Wisconsin Avenue bridge will disrupt their schedules, sleep habits and Straz Tower visits when they return to campus in January.

"If you want to eat, there are other dining halls. If you want to work out you can go across campus. The noise you really can't avoid," said Maura McGlynn, a Cobeen resident and freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences.

Jim McMahon, assistant vice president and dean of Residence Life, said the university hopes to minimize the effects of the construction by reviewing last year's similar situation with the Wells Street bridge demolition and reconstruction.

"Our experience is that when students know what to expect they can work around that," he said. "We want to minimize any noise or disruption as much as possible."

Carpenter and Cobeen residents said noise from Interchange construction has already bothered them, but its effects on a person depend on that person's sleep habits.

"It'll be less irritating in certain circumstances," said Michal Schmitt, a Carpenter resident and freshman in the College of Engineering. "The pounding at 3 a.m. is just ridiculous."

Cobeen resident Gina Strumolo, a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences, said she is a sound sleeper but might be more affected by the noise when doing her homework.

"It depends on what time it is. If it's really obnoxious around 7 or 8 when I'm studying in my room it might be a problem because I won't want to focus on what I'm doing. But if I go to the library it's a lot further away," she said.

McGlynn said although she thinks the construction will have less of an impact on her sleeping patterns, her roommate may be bothered by the possibility of construction lighting and sound.

"We could shut the blinds and stuff, but I'm sure (for) light sleepers like her it will" be annoying, she said.

McGlynn and Schmitt said their visits to the Rec Plex located in Straz Tower will also be affected by the bridge's demolition.

"I think it will be more of a stretch to get me to go swim over there, but once I'm over there I'll go," Schmitt said.

McGlynn said she uses the Rec Plex a couple of times per week and expects to modify her schedule during the spring semester by walking to the Rec Center across campus instead.

"I prefer the Rec Center, but it's nice because the Rec Plex is so close, and if I'm in a hurry I can just go over there," she said. "It's more of a hike and a big waste of time if I walk all the way there and all the way back."

Strumolo said the biggest impact of the bridge's demolition for her will be Straz Tower's separation from the rest of campus.

"A lot of people won't want to cross the bridge to come see me and I won't want to cross the bridge to go see them, so it will kind of be a stalemate as to who's lazier," she said.