Rodrigo Carbonel / Roundup
The Pierce College Academic Senate confirmed during a meeting Monday that a section of Mason Street will be closed to allow for construction of a new student walkway.
A plan has already been approved to close Mason Street between Olympic Drive and El Rancho Drive in order to build a student walkway in its place, providing a safer path for students to go between classes when the proposed construction in that area finishes.
“The closing of that part of Mason Street will start at the end of the spring semester,” said Academic Senate President Tom Rosdahl. “Most campuses’ traffic goes in a circular way and the college goes in the middle of that circle, cars shouldn’t be in the middle of the circle.”
According to Rosdahl, the main reason for the closing of Mason Street is the construction of new buildings in that area. This section of Pierce will have a second building for the Auto Center and a Green Technology building which will feature architecture, environmental technology and pre-engineering courses.
The closing of the intersection will also address the problem of non-students using El Rancho Drive to cut through Mason Street, making traffic more dangerous for students.
“It is a terrible idea; nothing is going to make traffic safer than bringing more traffic controllers,” said Hovik Ishkhanyan, a 24-year-old business major. “Closing down the street is not going to make traffic safer, it is just going to make the other streets worse.”
This would make students who enter campus through Mason Street turn right onto Olympic Drive, then left into Parking Lot 8, left at El Rancho Drive, and a right onto Mason Street before finally ascending the Art Hill.
“As long as it slows down drivers and it reduces accidents, it’s a good thing,” said Christian Espinoza, a 21-year-old engineering major.
This is part of the Pierce College’s renovation master plan, which will be going on approximately until the spring semester of 2013, according to Academic Senate officials.