The construction that held up traffic periodically on McKinley and Riverside avenues for years has ended, and the Ball State community joined to celebrate it.
On Monday, Ball State officials, faculty and staff celebrated the completion of renovations to the McKinley and Riverside Road intersection, commonly known as the Scramble Light.
Ball State President Jo Ann Gora spoke to a small crowd at the Music Instruction Building Plaza. Among the audience were key contributors to the intersection's upgrade, as well as various city representatives. In the speech, Gora expressed the importance of the intersection's changes in relation to Ball State's fundamental goals.
"We are in the fifth and final year of implementing our Education Redefined strategic plan," she said. "One of its most important objectives is creating a vibrant and energetic campus culture. The continuing physical transformation of the campus is a very important part of that initiative."
The renovations, which include improved medians, ramps, traffic lights, landscaping and aesthetics, mark the completion of the third phase of the McKinley and Riverside safety improvement project. Beginning in 2005, the project set out to improve the efficiency of vehicular and pedestrian travel.
Over the summer, the intersection was closed for construction. The closing was an inconvenience, but the construction work was completed on time.
With the help of federal funding, Ball State has spent roughly $14 million improving the campus' transportation infrastructure with similar projects, such as the repairs to Neely Avenue completed in 2010.
As the second semester with the changes approaches, students are becoming used to the new Scramble Light. Thousands of Ball State students and faculty pass through the intersection, and its officious verbal countdown is now, for the most part, commonplace.
Monday's dedication was Gora's reminder that the Scramble Light's renovations, and others like it, have left Ball State with an even newer and hopefully more enjoyable campus.
"We really felt this complete renovation was crucial to the newly redefined Ball state," said Gora. "It creates a more beautiful and efficient campus, and we believe it will foster stronger bonds among our students, faculty and staff."
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