Construction on the northern sidewalk of Commonwealth Avenue from the College of Fine Arts past West Campus has pushed Boston University students onto the street over the past week, but BU officials say the school is not to blame.
BU spokesman Colin Riley said city utility work was the probable cause of the construction.
‘The university works closely with the city on projects like this,’ he said. ‘They contact us with their needs and deadlines, and we try and work out an arrangement that will have a minimal impact on student life.’
The sidewalks were torn up late last week, and construction workers have been re-paving since the weekend.
The work has gone relatively quickly, Riley said, and, weather permitting, it is scheduled to be done by the first week in December.
‘There will never be a perfect time to tear up the sidewalks,’ Riley said, ‘but students will be leaving for Thanksgiving break, and it will be done before the cold weather sets in.’
Tree roots and general deterioration caused the sidewalks to crumble, and the construction will make them smoother, Riley said.
But CFA freshman Jeremy Jerla said the re-paving may not have been necessary.
‘Why should I have to walk in the street when there was a perfectly good sidewalk?’ Jerla said. ‘It’s unsafe being right next to all those cars.’
The construction has made it easier for College of General Studies freshman Joslin Isaacson to get to class, because it is easier ‘to cross the street to the T stop with all the cars backed up.’ She said she has not encountered any problems getting to and from her classes but thinks students should have been told more about the plans.
College of Arts and Science freshman Eileen Giarratano said she has tried to avoid the construction altogether.
‘The construction has discouraged me from going down to West Campus,’ she said. ‘It really detracts from the aesthetic appeal of the city, and I can’t stand the noise.’
Several students said they see the project as just another link in an endless chain of construction projects at BU.
‘They’ve been doing construction on campus since I’ve gotten here,’ said CAS senior Corinne Kyritsopoulos. ‘I’ll have graduated and never see it completed. On the other hand, I guess there’s something to say about an evolving university.’
But CAS freshman Aries Figueroa said she thinks all the interruptions have become a large inconvenience.
‘All I can think when I’m walking down the street instead of the sidewalk is, ‘what are they going to do next?” Figueroa said. ‘Soon we’re not going to be able to walk anywhere anymore.’
College of Communication junior Katie Noonan said construction projects prohibit students from concentrating on their studies.
‘Everywhere you look there’s a bulldozer and a guy in a hard hat yelling,’ Noonan said. ‘It’s not a very educational environment.’
College of Engineering junior Yommy Chiu said the construction forces students to engage in unsafe behavior that reflects badly on the school.
‘I went to see a show at [the College of General Studies] Saturday,’ she said, ‘and I was kind of disturbed that we had to go around back through a very shady parking lot because the main entrance was blocked off.’
COM freshman Bennett Wolm said the project has caused problems for him as he has tried to drive his car around campus.
‘The buildup of traffic caused by the blocked lane really complicates my commute,’ Wolm said.
School of Hospitality Administration freshman Luke Allen said he thinks the inconvenience was unnecessary.
‘That section was no worse than any other section,’ he said, ‘so I don’t see how they can justify disrupting traffic on safety grounds.’
SMG freshman Matt Conover expressed a sense of betrayal at the lack of information the students were given about the project.
‘They just appeared out of nowhere, it was like UCV Unidentified Construction Vehicles,’ Conover said. ‘I think that we as students should have been warned.’
