Stone by stone, brick by brick: Construction breaks ground across campus

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A well-worn "road closed" sign sits at the intersection of Mid-Campus and Jardine drives where infrastructure construction is taking place on June 9, 2018. (Madison Jahnke | Collegian Media Group) Photo credit: Madison Jahnke

Construction on campus is making headway this summer, with several ongoing projects to accommodate infrastructure changes. The current construction aligns with Kansas State’s 2025 Visionary Plan initiative.

The strategic action plan regarding facilities and infrastructure, according to the university’s website, is to “provide facilities and infrastructure that meet our evolving needs at a competitive level with our benchmark institutions.”

Additionally, the hope is that these changes will act as an asset to recruit and retain quality students, faculty, researchers and staff.

Lucas Payant, senior in mechanical engineering, said he is excited to see the changes that will be made to the engineering parking lot (lot A28 on the campus map), as he often experiences traffic issues during school-year mornings.

“You always hope that the construction actually improves campus life, instead of spending a lot of money and not really making any changes or making things easier,” Payant said.

Other current construction projects include replacing the intersection at Mid-Campus and Jardine drives, exterior improvements to Cardwell Hall and Campus Creek Complex and various parking lot reconstructions.

In addition to parking, pedestrian and bicycle circulation infrastructure improvements are also underway to improve safety, including sidewalk extensions, lighting additions/upgrades and more bicycle parking.

Denae J., senior in family studies and human services, said the summer [road closure] construction on campus is inconvenient and sometimes seems unnecessary but could potentially offer improvements.

“I hope it makes commuting across and around campus easier once everyone comes back,” J. said.

According the strategic action plan, an aspect of its goal is “building on tradition,” which includes remaining “sensitive to our historic architecture and limestone aesthetics” regarding changes and additions to the Manhattan campus.

The 2025 initiative’s facilities and infrastructure plan also includes future outcome goals that incorporate the university’s commitment to advance energy efficiency and sustainability, to accommodate the special needs of students in classrooms and residence halls and to foster a collaborative environment.

To view the 2018 summer construction schedule and map, visit www.k-state.edu/facilities/.

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