Get ready for more construction along Commonwealth Avenue. But don’t fret too much – when the city’s new Commonwealth Avenue project is done, the road may just be safe for both cars and pedestrians.
The city plans to spend $9 million to increase pedestrian safety and beautify a one-mile stretch of Commonwealth Avenue from Kenmore Square to the College of Fine Arts. BU will partially fund the project, which calls for both the removal of 48 old trees along the road and the addition of 275 trees and 2,500 shrubs.
BU is well-known for its sprawling campus along Commonwealth Avenue, and the appearance of the street directly affects to the school’s image. By creating a safer, better-looking environment, the university’s reputation can only improve.
BU’s specific contribution to the project should also be positive. According to landscape architect Steven Kleinman, less attractive materials would have been used on the improvements had BU not agreed to contribute to the project. BU’s reported $1.8 million donation to the project will be a good investment that will improve the campus’ appearance for years to come.
But the construction must be done right. Because BU is no stranger to construction during the academic year, the ensuing construction must be completed quickly and efficiently for both financial and academic reasons.
Past construction projects along the stretch have caused numerous problems for students attempting to study and learn less than 500 feet away from the incessant pounding of jackhammers.
While students will eventually appreciate the ability to walk across Commonwealth Avenue without fear for their lives, they will also appreciate getting their $40,000 worth of education headache-free. Students come to BU to learn and that should be taken into consideration during the planned two-year project.
While potential students may aquire a different first impression of BU due to the large amount of construction taking place over the next two years, the final result of the additional construction will surely attract more students overtime. And although some students will graduate from BU without ever seeing the campus construction-free, particularly along Commonwealth Avenue, future students will be provided with a safer, better looking campus the BU community will appreciate for years to come.
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
