BY LINDSEY HAZLETT | PHOTO BY ALEX THOMAS
The Monroe Street construction project will impact accessibility, bus routes, and commute times to Edgewood College, Edgewood High School, and the Campus School through November of 2018.
The construction will span from Odana Road to Regent Street. Side streets will not be included in this project.
The City of Madison reported that official road work will likely begin “around March 12,” but a concrete start date has not yet been set. Off-road utility work began on January 29, which has already resulted in sporadic lane closures.
Once the construction starts, only one lane of traffic will remain open and run towards downtown Madison. Because of this, cars will only be permitted to access campus on Edgewood College Drive and exit on Main Drive.
Pick up and drop off at the Campus School will be temporarily redirected to Park and Pleasure Drive in order to avoid traffic congestion on main campus roads.
Parking on Monroe Street will be prohibited between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Buses running eastbound will not be detoured. However, westbound routes 3, 7, 19 and 58 will be detoured, with detailed maps posted on the City of Madison’s Metro Transit webpage. The start date for each of these detours is TBA.
The Madison Metro will continue to stop at Glenway, Arbor, Commonwealth, Leonard (Edgewood campus), and Grant streets.
Beginning on March 4, a shuttle will be provided by the City of Madison on weekends and holidays, transferring passengers between Breese Terrace and the West Transfer Point. Further information and tips for riding this shuttle are available online.
The Safe Shuttle will continue to run for students, although arrival and departure times may change once construction begins.
President Flanagan formed a Monroe Street Reconstruction Task Force, comprising of twelve students and staff members. This group has been meeting regularly since September and is working to “find ways to mitigate the impact to campus.”
In addition to those associated with Edgewood College, the local businesses are anticipated to face challenges due to this project. Though one sidewalk will remain open, foot traffic is likely to decrease.
The Monroe Street Merchants Association reported jumping to action back in July. President Carol Schroeder of the Merchants Association told the Wisconsin State Journal, “We acknowledge that it’s going to be a tough time period… We’re bracing ourselves and we want to make the best of it. It’s something we just have to be best prepared for.”
Despite Schroeder’s optimism, Wild Child clothing store will not be open to face such challenges. The 32-year-old shop’s last day of business is on February 17.
Co-owner Angie Roloff of Strictly Discs said, “We certainly have tweaked our business plan for this year in how we approach day-to-day operations. We’ll be popping up around town, we’re offering delivery, and also just communicating with our customers on how they can get to us and where they can park.”
Any questions may be answered at an information meeting directed by the City of Madison on February 21 in Sonderegger 108. The meeting is open to the public.
A private meeting open to students, faculty, and staff will be hosted by Student Senate on February 26 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Anderson Auditorium.
As updates become available, they will be posted at Edgewood.edu/monroestreet.
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