The new campus landmark on McKinley Avenue will serve as a focal point for the north quadrangle area.

In preliminary work from May 8 to June 8, a temporary roadway to loop around the construction site will be built. The road diversion will take traffic through what is now the grassy area immediately south of the Architecture Building.

"Our intention is to keep McKinley open throughout the construction phase," said Jim Lowe, facilities planning and management engineer. "There may be occasions when we have to reduce the detour to one-lane, but for the most part it will be open to two-way traffic."

Bell tower construction gets underway June 12 and continues through early May 2001. The $3 million project is being funded by private donations.

The tower will house 48 French-made, custom-cast and individually-tuned carillon bells.

The bells, with a range of four octaves, will make it possible to provide a variety of concert quality musical presentations.

Daily chimes may be pre-recorded music played through an automated system. However, live programs with trained carillonneurs will be planned for special occasions such as homecoming or commencement.

Immediately following the bell tower construction next year, the university will begin a project to widen McKinley Avenue between Riverside Avenue and Petty Road.

The project is designed for safety by calming traffic and separating pedestrians and vehicles. McKinley will be fashioned into an avenue with a raised median. A limited number of distinctly-marked pedestrian crossways will be a cue to vehicle traffic to slow down.

"The crossways will be clearly defined by using a different surface, such as brick, that makes it noticeably different than the road surface to motorists," said Lowe.

Traffic studies have estimated that between 80,000-90,000 pedestrian crossings occur in the area on a typical weekday, competing for space with campus shuttle buses, city buses, automobiles and bicycles.

The majority of the $10 million project will be paid by federal highway funds.

By Nancy Prater, Web Editor

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Lowe by e-mail at jlowe@bsu.edu  or by phone at (765) 285-2805.)