[493] Work on new MTSU roundabout closes some campus roads for summer

MURFREESBORO — A new roundabout project scheduled to begin this week on the north side of the MTSU campus will require partial closure of some campus roads.

The roundabout will be constructed at the intersection of Champion Way and Lightning Way, said Ron Malone, assistant vice president for events and transportation.

In order for the project to be completed by fall, Champion Way will be closed at Faulkinberry Drive and at the entrance to the Holmes Building. Lightning Way will also be closed at Founders Lane, Malone said.

Access to the north side of campus will remain available via Blue Raider Drive from Greenland Drive.

A map of the road closings may be found at the MTSU Parking and Transportation Services website, www.mtsu.edu/parking under the “Summer 2013 Road Construction” tab, or visit http://bit.ly/mtsu-roundabout-2013.

As construction progresses, the university will accommodate summer modifications to the “Green Route” shuttle bus for students. MTSU Parking and Transportation Services will notify the campus of these route changes when they become necessary.

The roundabout project is part of an overall campus improvement plan designed to improve shuttle bus efficiency and traffic flow, relieve traffic congestion, improve pedestrian walkways and lighting, and provide bike lanes into campus and around the perimeter of the academic core.

The four-phase, $30 million traffic plan has already created two roundabouts on campus: Blue Raider Drive at MTSU Boulevard, which was the first of its kind at a Tennessee public university when it opened in 2008, and Blue Raider Drive at Lightning Way at the northwest edge of Scarlett Commons.

Campus officials chose the roundabout route after studying a safety report indicating that roundabouts are safer than traditional traffic circles and intersections, showing about 40 percent fewer collisions and 80 percent fewer injuries to drivers and pedestrians. Other universities with traffic roundabouts include Stanford University, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland.

About MTSU

Founded in 1911 as one of three state normal schools for teacher training, MTSU is now the oldest and largest public university in Middle Tennessee. With an enrollment of more than 25,000 students, MTSU is the largest undergraduate university in Tennessee.

MTSU remains committed to providing individualized service in an exciting and nurturing atmosphere where student success is the top priority. With a wide variety of nationally recognized academic degree programs at the baccalaureate, master's and doctoral levels, MTSU takes pride in educating the best and the brightest students from Tennessee and around the world.