Evansdale upgrades set to break ground

Big changes are coming to the West Virginia University Evansdale campus this fall.

In early September, construction will begin on several new buildings on the Evansdale campus. The $250 million project, known as the "Evansdale Master Plan," will add six new buildings, as well as infrastructure improvements and sidewalk renovation.

The new College of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences, the Wellness and Student Health center, the Art Museum of WVU and the Advanced Engineering Research Building are among the planned buildings. Also detailed in the master plan is the expansion of the WVU College of Law building.

Preparation of these construction sites begins in early September, with construction beginning in the fall and continuing into 2014.

The project will require closures of certain parking lots and rerouting of pedestrian traffic. According to Rob Moyer, Director of Facilities Planning and Scheduling at WVU, some of these changes are permanent.

"One of the major points when we were making the plan was ‘how do we separate vehicles and pedestrians?’" he said.

The Evansdale Master Plan describes improvements to several vehicular and pedestrian conflict points.

"We want to keep folks on the sidewalk and away from where cars will be driving," Moyer said. "We really want to make the inner part of the campus more pedestrians safe."

Certain parking lots on the Evansdale campus, including Short-term lot 4, will be closed, which will require commuters to find alternative parking. However, Moyer said that additional parking will be available.

"All of the projects that we’re working on, we’re making sure there’s ample parking on campus," he said. "As spots are lost, new ones are built. We have a one for one ratio."

This construction is a continuation of several years of changes for the campus.

"It’s gonna be a little busy," Moyer said, but we’re going to have beautiful facilities with lots of amenities for our students and faculty. Hold on tight, and we’ll get through it together."

For information about construction-related closures and project updates, follow @WVUConstruction on Twitter or visit http://construction.wvu.edu.