By Brian Bohl
An agreement between the University and the Town of Hempstead facilitated the opening of the west pedestrian bridge before the elevators become operational and the glass curtains that will surround the stairs are completed.
The unispan opened April 17, connecting the Netherlands dormitory houses to the campus’ south side. A $4.6 million project, the 240-foot bridge is the University’s third elevated walkway over Hempstead Turnpike, allowing students to bypass the busy Oak Street intersection.
Joseph Barkwill, the University’s vice president for facilities and operations, said the glass arrived Friday, but installation will not begin until May 21, the day after commencement of the academic year.
“Even though they are completed, the elevators cannot be operational until the glass is installed,” said Barkwill, who added that a new paint job and scaffolding will be included in the finishing touches.
Barkwill said opening the bridge was the right decision, as the Netherlands contains 11 houses with close to 50 residents per building. The high-volume intersection can make crossing difficult because of the four-way traffic, and the area’s proximity to bars on Hempstead Turnpike only adds to the danger level, school officials said.
“I’ve seen a lot of students on the bridge, especially at night,” Barkwill said. “Just to know that they are crossing that road by bridge, [it] makes me happy to know that the students’ safety is enhanced. Certainly, there are students who will not use it. They will dart across Hempstead Turnpike. We can’t force them to use the bridge.”
Barkwill said he expects incoming freshman will be more likely to use the bridge than existing students who are already in the habit of crossing at the traffic light. He went on to say that he thinks it takes the same amount of time, or less, to use the bridge rather than waiting for the light to change and cars in the turning lanes to go. “But certainly, from a safety perspective, that intersection is terrible for students to try to cross.”
When the elevators and doors are installed, the new unispan will also feature a reader requiring student identification cards to pass during evening hours. The security measure is also used on the student center bridge, when entering from the academic side of campus, and the overpass connecting the Hagedorn Hall parking lot to the campus’ north side.
Barkwill said the new bridge’s opening was delayed because of inclement weather the past three months, and the exact measurements for the glass could only be ordered after the structure and concrete foundations were established.
“Because the majority of the work is concrete, we were hampered by colder-than-normal temperatures in February and March,” Barkwill said.
Freshmen predominately live in the Netherlands dorms, and University administrators said they could possibly incorporate information about the bridge into the summer orientation program. Signs and other reminders could also be posted around the unispan to encourage students to use the walkway instead of crossing the turnpike at street level.
The west pedestrian bridge opened on April 17, connecting the Netherlands residential complex to the academic side of campus.