Gateway Master Plan starts; Terrace Drive closed for year
Kent State University President Todd Diacon speaks to the audience during the groundbreaking ceremony.
Kent State began part one of its three-part plan which aims to add new buildings to campus while making the campus a more walkable place.
The 10-year plan is known as the Kent Campus Gateway Master Plan and was created in 2018 with a budget of $1 billion dollars by the Board of Trustees.
Before students moved in, Midway Drive had undergone a realignment as the first part of the plan.
Terrace Drive was closed down Aug. 22 for the rest of the year as it will be rerouted to intersect with Midway.
The road will be rerouted in order to help gain access with a new building under construction, Crawford Hall, which will be home to the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship.
Another big change for students will be the parking lots. The White Hall parking lot and Midway parking lots will be closed and removed this fall. The Midway parking lot will act as the location for Crawford Hall and the White Hall parking lot will be reserved for the construction crew this year, before being removed later for green space.
“We want to extend our tree canopy and expand that wonderful park-like area we have to the east,” said Joseph Graham, the executive director of Facilities, Planning and Design.
There will be more parking spaces created elsewhere to help balance the loss of spaces.
One expansion is to the R-17 lot by Verder Hall, which will add more than 300 parking spaces for faculty and student use. There will also be a new lot created on the corner of East College Avenue and Willow Street that will open up this fall.
The Aeronautics and Technology building will be renovated and expanded throughout this year and will be completed near the start of the fall semester in 2023.
White Hall has nearly completed renovations to the heating ventilation and air conditioning on the first and second floors. Along with this, there is a project underway for a water chilling plant to be created on the lower level of the hall that will service 10 buildings across campus.
“Students are going to need to pay attention to the construction on campus this year,” Graham said. “There will be detour signs to help guide students find their way around during these renovations.”
Ty Kohler is a campus editor. Contact him at [email protected].