The University of Miami recently revealed a construction project for a new road planned to run through the interior of the Coral Gables campus. The road will connect all of the university’s major parking lots, and construction is planned to commence during the summer of 2009.
The first stage of construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2010 and will include a connection from “a new entrance to campus at the intersection of Miller Road and San Amaro to the south end of the arboretum,” said Janet Gavarrete, UM’s chief planner.
The next stage will be completed by the end of 2012. It will include a road around the north end of campus across the canal and will conclude at Stanford Drive.
The university said it hopes to complete the construction in phases during the summer in order to avoid disrupting the academic semesters.
“We are in very preliminary planning at this juncture,” Gavarette said. “Construction is always present on campus in many different ways and there is minimal impact to students.”
Construction plans for such an interior road have been part of the university’s master plan since 1992, Gavarrete said, when the master plan was first adopted. The road plan has been encouraged by the city of Coral Gables and UM Neighbors as a way to connect designated parking areas on campus.
Other projects for UM include the University Village townhomes, construction of which will begin in October, and an addition to the Lowe Museum to house the 130-piece Palley glass collection.
Padma Sarvepalli may be contacted at p.sarvepalli@umiami.edu.