The corner of Ohio Street and 27th Street was a popular place for drivers to cut time and distance until this past fall. These streets—near Rider hall and the GBPAC—have been blocked off since the fall allowing students to walk more safely on campus as vehicles must now stick to the main roads.

Mike Zwanziger, director of the Physical Plant, explains the reasoning behind the blockade on Ohio Street and 27th Street.

“The focus is pedestrian safety and then pedestrian friendliness for walking around campus so you’re not dodging cars,” Zwanziger said.

Last fall, a facility planning advising committee accepted the recommendation to bring in barricades blocking off part of Ohio Street and part of 27th Street.

The street closure eliminated traffic to four crosswalks and reduced traffic to three others. Traffic studies conducted by UNI showed that the road had no real purpose and was used more as cut through for traffic.

“Coming off Hudson Road, people are coming down 27th Street, and if you would stand and watch traffic, you would see that they are not turning in one of the parking lots; they just cut through,” Zwanziger points out.

Joe Tyler, Associate Director of Public Safety, explained that the overall long term plan is to extend the Gilchrist A Lot to the west.

According to Zwanziger, having more parking spaces close to central campus could be more of a benefit than having a through street.

Ruby Johnson, a sophomore deciding major, thinks construction would be a great idea.

“If they think that’s an improvement, go for it. I think construction is an overall positive thing for a university to do,” Johnson said.

Tameron McGurren-Leal, a freshman business and finance major, feels that closing the road would be convenient for students but might make things more congested for traffic.

“I think of it as a convenience when I’m walking, but I feel like it’s congesting everything when it comes to driving,” McGurren-Leal said. “It’s also convenient for those who walk with their heads down, texting, or not paying attention.”

According to Zwanziger, the corner of Ohio Street and 27th Street is where many students cross to get to classes.

By eliminating traffic to four crosswalks and reducing the amount of traffic to another three, Zwanziger believes that it has helped the safety of all of those involved.

Zwanziger also said they are also looking for options to improve safety along 23rd Street as well.

According to Zwanziger, the impacts of Ohio Street and 27th Street will help decide how to approach different options with other streets on or near campus in the future.

The facility planning advising committee is also working with the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center and Russell Hall because they will have events that people will need to get to.

Having the road closed will allow buses to unload without having to worry about vehicles trying to cut through that street.

Hannah Sealock, a freshman vocal performance major, likes having the road closed off.

“I actually do like the road closed because I cross the road to get to Russell all the time, so it’s really nice not to have cars driving through there,” Sealock said. “The GBPAC walk is better, too. I never drive through campus; I always walk so it’s more convenient to not have to wait for cars as I’m walking.”

For Zwanziger, the whole project is about pedestrian safety. “It’s kind of one of those things where you think about dealing with a couple extra minutes in a car and weighing that against the safety value you get by not having that road open. I think the pedestrians should win out on that.”

According to Zwanziger, this stage is just a test to see how less traffic improves pedestrian safety. The Physical Plant does not have any current plans for construction in the area.