The lush landscaping and wide, paved sidewalks of the Commonwealth Avenue Beautification Project sketches seem miles away from the massive bulldozers, yards of yellow construction tape and concrete barricades that have taken over the sidewalks along campus.
Using state and federal funds, the Massachusetts Highway Department has begun the arduous task of beautifying the stretch of Commonwealth Avenue from Kenmore Square to the Boston University Bridge — all within a two-year time frame.
While we believe a project to make our campus look better is an admirable idea, the Highway Department must take care not to destroy some of BU’s most precious legacies.
Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore already averted disaster once this semester when he moved the Greek rock to the BU Beach before workers could dispose of it.
Furthermore, Commonwealth Avenue has become a truly dangerous place for students to walk. While there is a heavy police presence on the sidewalks directing traffic, construction crews have only carved out narrow, one-lane walking paths. No one seems to be accounting for the heavy pedestrian traffic during class time.
During the day, pedestrian traffic is sometimes heavier than automobile traffic; perhaps construction crews could close a full lane of traffic for students to pass more easily.
While construction takes place in our backyard for the next two years, more must also be done by the administration to inform students of what is taking place and what to expect as they leave their dorms-many.
While BU administrators have scheduled the launch of an extensive website explaining the various construction projects on campus, there is currently an inadequate amount of information provided to the rest of the community.
Weekly, the Highway Department issues reports regarding its overall schedule updates to BU. Monthly, the department provides progress reports to the university. The least administrators can do is post that information for everyone to see.
Perhaps the university could also provide alternate routes for students to take while sidewalk construction continues.
For the safety of the students, faculty and staff of this university, administrators must act quickly to keep the BU community in the loop about this massive construction project.