Students crossed the road with construction problems. Southern Avenue construction is holding up students from their commute.
On Wednesday afternoon, 62-year-old student Jane White Cherry left her class to walk to her car parked in the lot on Southern Avenue, but not without having to first cross a treacherous path to get there.
There were cars whizzing by, drivers not paying attention and this was made worse by the construction that has created a bottleneck effect on the road.
“It’s an accident waiting to happen,†Cherry said.
Ongoing construction is something that has plagued the City of Memphis for years.
Recently, Southern Avenue has been the subject of a project to fix the crossings over the railroad tracks, alter landscaping, and build retaining walls, new stairs and handicap accessible ramps.
Campus Planning and Design said they are unable to give a specific date for when the project will be complete.
“We are a couple of weeks away from substantial completion,†Gerry Keen, facilities management specialist, said. Keen said Campus Planning and Design have ordered flashing lights for the street, but they will not be in for another month.
“We’re working toward making it safer,†Keen said. “Hopefully, this will make it safer.â€
Cherry said she is upset there is currently no safe way to get across Southern Avenue despite the scope of the project.
“At least Central [Avenue] has a red light,†Cherry said.
Cherry said the University of Memphis has given no thought to safety while the construction is going on and something needs to be done to make people aware of the safety problems that are happening. She pointed to a wreck on Southern Avenue that happened on Wednesday.
“Someone needs to at least put up a red flashing light,†Cherry said. “It’s bad enough that we have to walk over there.â€
Cherry said she talked to Keen, who is in charge of the project, and was told they were going to do something about the current safety issues. But, the changes have yet to be seen.
“The university is lucky that nothing has happened,†Cherry said.
Michael Dixon is another student who has complained about the construction being hazardous.
“I talked to a construction worker and he said it would be a while,†Dixon said.
Freshman Ruth Alvarez said every time she goes from her car to class she has to go around the construction.
“They should make it safer,†Alvarez said.
Sophomore Tieranee Wilson said she believes this is the reason our tuition was raised and the university should be trying to speed up the process.
“It should’ve been completed over the summer,†Wilson said.
Junior Travis Moody echoed Wilson’s thoughts. “They should’ve had it done when school was out,†he said.
The project has taken longer than expected because the coordination with outside groups was more tedious than anticipated.
“We’re nearing completion,†Tony Poteet, assistant vice president of Campus Planning and Design, said. “[The construction workers] are working diligently.â€
Poteet said this is a complicated project that takes time and safety is paramount. He believes the benefits will outweigh the time spent on the project.
“We appreciate everyone putting up with any inconvenience,†Poteet said.
