FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Finishing touches are being put on one new parking lot, while a second is under construction on the west side of Razorback Road. When both are completed Sept. 1 they will provide close to 500 new parking spaces for students. The lots are at Meadow, Graham and Center Streets.

A new four-way traffic light has been installed at Meadow Street and Razorback Road to help with the additional traffic to and from the lots.

Additional parking will also be available for U of A faculty and staff at expanded lots on the west side of Gregg Avenue, between Maple and Reagan Streets.

Drivers coming to campus from the south side will also find the next phase of construction that closed the south part of Stadium Drive is complete, and they can now drive from Martin Luther King Boulevard to Maple Street, with only two stop signs and one roundabout along the way.

These are some of the first additions to campus that students, faculty and staff will notice during the first week of classes. Facilities management crews and contractors have worked on a variety of projects throughout the summer, most of which were finished before classes started.

BUILDINGS AND CLASSROOMS

For example, the $800,000 renovation to the Fine Arts Center was finished, including improvements to classrooms and studios. The first phase of the new 30,000-square-foot Art and Design District project on Hill Street is complete, with the opening of the sculpture building, which occupies a bit more than half of the total facility.

Additional work has been finished at the Business Building, including expansion of the advising center. Contractor crews also worked through the summer in several of the campus residence halls, making repairs and renovations.

One construction project that experienced delays was the restoration of the front door and entry portal to Old Main. The east portal is going through a complete overhaul, with new columns and steps among other improvements. The project should be completed by Oct. 1. 

NEW PROJECTS

Facilities management also has several new construction projects under design and ready to begin construction as soon as this winter, including:

• A new library storage facility.
• A new Civil Engineering Research and Education Center.
• The Student Media Center addition at Kimpel Hall, along with classroom renovation work in the four-story section of Kimpel.
• Expansion of the Pat Walker Health Center.
• Continued renovation of Discovery Hall, due to be finished by January 2017.
• Construction of new intramural fields for University Recreation.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.