When Pat Taylor went to class from his house on Lisbon Avenue last year, he could pretty much roll out of bed, walk to the Main Street bus loop or hop in his car, and be on campus in about 10 to 15 minutes, even during the first-day-of-classes rush. This year, construction running from Bailey to Hertel Avenues on Main Street has made getting to and from his classes quite an ordeal.
"Now, trying to drive any time during the morning, the rush hours, or lunch is close to impossible," he said.
Taylor, a senior political science major, estimates the construction adds an average of about 20 to 30 minutes to his UB commute, and that doesn't include the added inconvenience of just living a block from heavy construction.
Students living on North Campus have just as difficult a time getting to classes on South Campus. Erika Sirianni, a sophomore undecided major, says it takes her 30 minutes to drive to her nutrition class.
"I hate it. It's not leaving South Campus though, it's getting down there. It's just a mess," she said.
Main Street near UB South Campus is undergoing a $16 million renovation, replacing pavement, sewers, crosswalks, streetlights and intersections.
According to Ron Mandell, consulting engineer for the Main Street project, the bulk of the construction was to be completed before UB's fall semester started. A nine-week strike by the Operating Engineers Local 17 shut down the project from April 4 to June 20, setting back several projects across Buffalo, including the Airport Runway Extension. Mandell said the Main Street project's completion date has not changed, but adjustments to the work schedule has led to more inconvenience for those living, working and learning around UB South Campus.
"Originally up by UB is phase three of the project, on Main from Kenmore to Bailey. Because of the strike we started work on phase four, which runs from Hertel to Minnesota," he said.
The project's expanded reach has reduced Main Street from four lanes to two from Hertel Avenue all the way to Bailey as each side of the road is paved.
Mandell said paving and construction from Hertel to Bailey would be completed in about four weeks, with the exception of a thin top layer of asphalt to be laid next summer.
While the project might not be delayed, the four weeks of extensive construction affects people living and working in University Heights, people taking classes on South Campus, and even the nightlife.
Talking Leaves Bookstore might be one of the most-affected University Heights businesses. Storeowner Jonathon Welch said construction hurt him the most during the summer, but even with added student business, the construction's impact will last a while.
"It has been very jarring and had a very detrimental effect, an effect that will last well after construction ends," he said. "People's habits have changed. They avoid this area because they know how much of a mess it is."
Welch did say efforts had been made to help lessen the blow.
"The company has rented and made the parking lot between Wilson Farms and Molly's Pub a public lot, so it makes up for some of the lost street parking during the day," he said.
"It's so unorganized and there's no parking further down Main Street anymore," said Briana Martinez, a sophomore urban planning major. "I'll deal with it though. I've figured out a shortcut, or an alternative route."
The UB Stampede, UB's new busing system, has also been affected, being forced to find a new route to get its buses on time.
Chris Austin, UB Transportation's adjudication and transportation coordinator, said while construction is an inconvenience, the new busing system has coped admirably.
"Thus far we've seen minimal to no delays as a result of the construction. We are rerouting to avoid the build up," he said. "The inconvenience has been that we've had to reroute. As a result of the change, we've been able to stay between one and two minutes of our targets."
Austin said the change was crucial because congestion going down Millersport and Bailey near South Campus is most affected by construction.
"If we were going down Millersport and Bailey, we'd have buses waiting in lines of 20-30 cars."
All things considered, Taylor said taking the buses ends up being the best way to avoid the jam.
"They've been pretty quick, though sometimes the buses show up in spurts," he said. "You just can't drive, but you adjust."
Photo: Courtesy of SUNY
