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Changes near cemetery will offer a safer walk to the Student Living Center 

September 21st, 2015 Posted in USU Life
By Alix Zelener 

Utah State University has taken the first steps toward a safer walk to the Student Living Center along the east side of the Logan Cemetery on North 1200 East by installing new parkways, sidewalks, fencing and streetlights.

“The sidewalks were getting unsafe,” said Ben Berrett, the USU director of facilities, planning, design and construction. “We had some underground electrical utilities that needed to be replaced, so it was a good time to start the project.”

Construction crews removed the existing sidewalks to create room for a new grass parkway between the street and the new sidewalks, providing a safety cushion between pedestrian and vehicle traffic. New, wider sidewalks have been poured and a wrought iron fence has been constructed between the sidewalks and the Logan Cemetery boundary. For added safety, street lights have also been installed in the area for the first time.

“Getting from the Student Living Center to campus last year was difficult. The sidewalks were in bad shape, and walking at night was almost out of the question because there was no lighting,” said sophomore Natalie Webb, who was a resident of Rich Hall last semester. “I’m really glad to see they are fixing it. It was necessary.”

The project is ongoing, but Berrett said he expects construction to be completed by the end of the 2016 spring semester. The sidewalks, streetlights, fencing and grass are all in place, but crews are waiting on another species of tree for the parkway strip that will not arrive until this spring.

“We are happy that we are making student walkways safer, as well as upgrading the overall look and feel of our campus,” Berrett said.

In conjunction with the sidewalk improvements, USU maintenance crews repaved the streets through the cemetery, upgraded irrigation systems, and replaced power utilities located under the new sidewalk.

– mdl

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