Campus construction projects
Below is information about road construction projects that will impact traffic on the Worcester campus.
Below is information about road construction projects that will impact traffic on the Worcester campus.
The ongoing safety modifications on South Road will extend into the travel lanes beginning on Thursday, Oct.19, with the installation of speed humps designed to slow traffic to the 20 miles per hour limit.
Crews will be saw cutting the existing pavement, excavating trenches and installing speed humps in three locations. During this phase of construction, two-way traffic on the road will be maintained by restricting vehicle travel to one lane in each direction.
The work is planned in two phases. Speed humps will be installed on half of the roadway Oct. 19 through 21; the other half of the road will be done the following week, Oct. 26 through 28.
The speed hump installation is part of a set of traffic mitigation and roadway safety measures being installed on South Road to slow vehicles, protect pedestrians and improve the flow of traffic in this area of the campus.
Excavation on North Road, near the library parking lot and the volleyball courts, will impact pedestrian walkways and traffic patterns in that area. The work is expected to begin during the week of Oct. 9 and continue for two weeks.
North Road will be reduced to one travel lane during working hours. Even with that lane restriction, two-way traffic will be maintained on North Road, directed by UMass Chan public safety officers. Some sidewalks in the area will be closed. Pedestrian detours will be marked with signs.
The North Road access point to the library parking lot will become an entrance only during this phase of construction. Individuals who park in this lot will enter off North Road, then exit via the clinical parking lot. The barrier between those lots will be removed during construction to accommodate new traffic pattern.
This work is required to link UMass Memorial’s pneumatic tube system with the new inpatient building now under construction at the former Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center.
Beginning in mid-September, a set of traffic mitigation and roadway safety measures will be installed on South Road to slow vehicles, protect pedestrians and improve the flow of traffic in the core of the campus.
"Since I arrived on campus, concerns about the safety of South Road for pedestrians and drivers alike have been repeatedly brought to my attention. It was immediately clear to me that we needed to do something significant to address the situation on that road. As a result, following several months of planning, design and review by the facilities team and consultants, a multi-faceted project will begin in mid-September and run through the end of November," said David Flanagan, deputy executive vice chancellor of facilities.
Key elements of the project include:
Many of these improvements, such as the new fencing, curbing and accessible concrete ramps at the new crosswalks are considered permanent. Other measures, like the speed bumps and high-visibility posts that will mark the new travel lanes, are adjustable so we can review how the road functions after they are in place for several months and make any adjustments that may be necessary.
It should be noted that the campus’s road network remains essentially unchanged since the Medical School was first built. Meanwhile, the academic and clinical programs on campus have grown dramatically, leading to the level of congestion and safety concerns now seen on South Road. This South Road project is an important first step on what we envision will be a strategic review of the traffic patterns on campus in the coming years.
Beginning this week, excavation between the library parking lot and the volleyball courts on North Road will disrupt parking, pedestrian walkways and traffic patterns in that area. The work is expected to continue through mid-September.
The project will link UMass Memorial’s pneumatic tube system with the new inpatient building under construction at the former Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center.
Excavation will begin near the rear wall of UMass Chan Medical School’s clinical wing, then progress north (toward Plantation Street). The area will be fenced to create a work zone for construction crews and equipment.
The project will proceed in phases with the fence line shifting as work progresses. Eventually the excavation will cross North Road, closing the sidewalk in that area and reducing vehicle travel to one lane during working hours. Even with that lane restriction, two-way traffic will be maintained on North Road, directed by UMass Chan public safety officers.
Throughout the project, the basketball and volleyball courts will remain open. The community garden adjacent to courts will not be disrupted.
In mid-August, the North Road access point to the library parking lot will become an entrance only for several weeks. Library lot parkers will enter off North Road, then exit via the clinical parking lot. The barrier between those lots will be removed during construction to accommodate the new traffic pattern.