Looks like Bobcat Lane will only be opened in 2015
Ohio University officials initially said Bobcat Lane would tentatively be open this December, but now they say the road won’t be open for another nine months.
Officials agreed this summer to open the road, that would give access to Baker University Center from Richland Avenue, for a trial period of six months to monitor the effects it has on traffic patterns and public safety.
OU received its $75 permit from the city of Athens last month to open the road, but officials are trying to combine that construction with other university projects, said Joseph Lalley, OU’s senior associate vice president for Information Technologies and Administrative Services.
Lalley was not immediately available to say why officials are combining the construction with other university projects.
“We anticipate seeking Board of Trustee approval for the combined projects at the January 2015 Board of Trustees meeting,” he said in an email.
Construction won’t likely begin until May 4, 2015 and end on Aug. 14 of that year — pushing the opening date back by about nine months.
The lane will feature a new drop off/pick up site for public transit vehicles and be more accessible to emergency response services and campus visitors, according to a university news release.
The project was agreed upon in a 2012 memorandum of understanding between OU officials and the city of Athens.
Lalley told The Post in August that Bobcat Lane will be “right turn-in and right turn-out only.” Cars and public transit traveling north on Richland Avenue will be able to turn right and enter Bobcat Lane, while vehicles exiting the lane will be able to turn right onto Richland Avenue and head northbound. Commercial trucks, including delivery vehicles, will be prohibited from accessing the thoroughfare, according to the release.
OU has budgeted $355,000 for Bobcat Lane construction, Lalley said.
The construction for a Bobcat Lane “curb cut,” Lalley said, will include:
•Relocation of underground utilities
•Creation of a “true intersection” with a turning radius wide enough to accommodate inter-city motor coaches
•Creation of pedestrian safety and ADA improvements
•Creation of bike lanes
•Lighting improvements
Mayor Paul Wiehl said the city and university previously discussed the design. At his weekly news conference Wednesday afternoon, Wiehl said he agrees with the new construction dates.
“It’s probably the most appropriate time to do it,” he said. “It could be an extra headache on Richland.”
But Wiehl stressed that nothing would be decided until the trial period is through. Wiehl was previously opposed to opening Bobcat Lane, citing concerns for pedestrian safety.
“The default is it would close down if it’s not successful.”
@JoshuaLim93
jl951613@ohio.edu
