With construction already beginning on the Wisconsin Avenue bridge, Marquette is gearing up for changes stemming from the bridge's January demolition.
The destruction of the bridge, which connects North 10th and North 11th street, begins on Jan. 6, according to Toby Peters, associate vice president of Administration. After that time, students living in Straz Tower and apartments east of the bridge will have to rely on alternative routes to access the rest of campus.
The main route for students is a walkway on Clybourn Street, according to Jim McMahon, dean of Residence Life. Clybourn will also serve as a detour route for eastbound traffic, according to Jim Koster, Interchange engineer in the Office of Administration.
Koster said the Clybourn passage will be cleaned up when students return from winter break and "won't look like it looks now."
The safety and convenience of students taking the passage is a concern to the university, Peters said, so Blue Light phones and surveillance cameras will be installed by the university and the Department of Public Safety will monitor them.
The passage will also be well-lit with smooth sidewalks that are wheelchair accessible, Peters said.
According to Lori Bysong, Interchange communications specialist in the Office of Administration, "there should be no time in which Clybourn is unavailable" for student use.
Koster said the contractors and the state are committed to keeping Clybourn open, though it can contractually be closed at night.
The bridge's closure also affects Internet and cable lines crossing over to Straz Tower. According to McMahon, Internet lines, which are leased through AT&T, have already been rerouted so Straz residents will still be connected to Marquette's network.
Time Warner will move cable lines this weekend, McMahon said. The company's signal to Straz will run from a downtown feed, meaning students in the residence hall will not receive the three Marquette channels (95, 96 and 99) until the construction on the bridge is complete.
Slight changes will also be made for students using Milwaukee County Transit System buses, though "due in part to our lobbying efforts," the buses will continue to run on Wisconsin Avenue, Peters said.
Westbound buses will stop at the corner of North 10th Street and Wisconsin Avenue before turning north on 10th Street, west on Wells Street and will return to Wisconsin Avenue via North 12th Street. Eastbound buses will turn onto Wells Street at North 12th Street and will make a stop on Wisconsin Avenue at North 8th Street, Peters said.
LIMO routes will also be affected, though LIMOs will continue to run at the same times and will stop in front of Straz Tower, Peters said.
Straz Tower will have weekend meal plans, which are not currently offered. Students will have Grab 'n' Go options on Friday evening and Saturday and Sunday brunch and dinner.
Peters said the selections will be expanded from the current weekday Grab 'n' Go options and seating will be available.
To cover the additional costs of the new Straz dining schedule, McMahon said the university was "redirecting some financial resources from other expenses" and it would not be at the students' expense.
Costs to the university in terms of additional services and adaptations have been generally covered by the state, according to Peters. The parking structure on North 12th and West Wells streets was not funded by the state, though it is being paid for through parking fees, Peters said.
"We've been essentially successful in procuring mitigation funds for our operational needs," he said.