After a summer out of commission, Ball State University's main road is open for service.
McKinley Avenue, which was revamped within three months, was opened to traffic last week.
Facilities Planning and Management Director Of Engineering And Operations Jim Lowe said that he, like many other members of the university's administration, is pleased with the progress that was made with the road's makeover in the relatively short time frame.
"We felt that the minimum that had to be done by Aug. 12 was to have the sidewalks open, the streets back in place, so that if we needed, we could open it up," Lowe said. "But we have found that because of the contractors working overtime -- working literally two, almost three, shifts a day, 6 days a week -- they have been able to accomplish what I think is just a miracle to get done in that short period of time."
That miracle has resulted in a McKinley Avenue complete with a median separating two lanes of traffic, pullover spots for buses and other vehicles, turnarounds and an improved scramble light at the corner of Neely and McKinley avenues.
Lowe said all of these additions were put in place to improve the safety of McKinley Avenue.
Lowe said the original layout of McKinley Avenue, which did not have clear lane definitions or crosswalks in some parts, made the road dangerous. New crosswalks are clearly seen from the road and are wide enough to occupy large numbers of pedestrians at once.
"We have picked locations for faculty, staff, students to cross in a location where you feel like somebody will see you coming across," Lowe said. "As with that vehicle, when they approach they would see the different texture [of the road], they would see the planters, and they would understand that this is a place that people are going to cross.
"What we had with McKinley prior [to construction] was three lanes -- you were a target. You were out in the middle of McKinley, and you didn't know who you were dodging. You didn't know who was going to swing in that middle lane at any time."
Another addition to McKinley are pullover lanes that will allow vehicles to pull off the road to drop off and receive passengers. Lowe expects there should be few problems with traffic flow, as long as drivers and passengers obey the rules.
"We're hoping that when you drop somebody off, you pull over. You're there for a couple seconds, then you're gone," Lowe said. "When you're picking somebody up, we hope you've coordinated your activity enough that they're waiting for you: You pull up, they open the door, and you're off again."
However, these spots are not only for the use of personal vehicles. Lowe said that there may be meetings with MITS to ensure that the buses that use McKinley will also be able to effectively use the pullover spots.
Larry King, MITS general manager, said that he does not currently foresee any major problems.
"We've gone out and walked it. Visually, it looks like it will be fine," King said. "We don't anticipate any problems, but we won't know until we road test it."
King said there are only a few circumstances which could present a challenge to maintaining traffic flow and safety.
"If there were problems [before the construction] they were minor, and nothing that interfered with our operations. We had more problems at certain times of the year when there was more traffic on campus," King said. "The only problem we would have is if cars parked in the lane and blocked passage, but the lanes are wide enough that there shouldn't be any problem."
Other safety features are not as obvious. To help curb pedestrians from walking through cars waiting at a light or intersection, mounds have been placed between sidewalks and the road. These mounds are meant to discourage foot travel through that specific area.
"There will be landscape that will literally uninvited you from crossing through there because if you do, you will be crossing through queued up cars, and we don't want that -- that's unsafe," Lowe said.
Another addition is the improved crosswalk alert system at the corner of Neely and McKinley avenues that will assist in alerting individuals who have hearing and visual impairments in making their ways through the intersection. The new crosswalk alerts will use a series of visual and audio cues, as well as vibrating crosswalk buttons, to let pedestrians know when to cross, and in which direction they can cross at which time.
Not all additions are in the public safety realm. Once finished with the structural and technological facets of the road construction, workers began perfecting the aesthetic touches that add charm to the pathway. This part of the renovation included landscaping the road and even positioning urns in areas along sidewalks that were frequently used as shortcuts for maintenance and delivery vehicles.
Lowe said that he is positive the road is built to last, thanks not only to its robust construction but also to the new drainage system in place.
"These roads are very well-built. We built up the base of stone, and on top of that you've got asphalt, three or four layers of asphalt. It's about 18 to 24 inches thick in some spots," Lowe said.
"The drainage system is the key to all this," he said. "We installed drainage pipes that run parallel to that curb line on both sides of the street that will carry any subsurface water over to our new storm drains -- and then we have all these new storm drains that we've installed.
"What damages a road is that it can't get rid of the water, and the water starts washing out the base, then you get water that freezes and thaws and falls apart."
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