Monday morning welcomed back not only a record number of MU students but a record amount of traffic as well.
The intersection of Virginia Avenue and Hospital Drive was bombarded with traffic Monday afternoon as students, faculty and staff commuted to and from campus. The MU Police Department placed two officers at the intersection to direct traffic in an attempt to clear up the congestion.
Traffic is generally busy during the first week of the semester, Columbia Public Works spokeswoman Jill Stedem said.
“There are a lot more people in the area, which limits exit and entrance,” MU Police Department Capt. Brian Weimer said.
He said he believes the construction on Monk Drive has a significant effect on the flow of traffic.
“Once construction on Monk Drive is finished, there won’t be a problem,” MU Campus Facilities spokeswoman Karlan Seville said.
Construction in that area is scheduled to finish Sept. 27.
Hospital Drive and Virginia Avenue are both maintained by the university, and MU is currently working with MUPD to resolve this issue.
MUPD is considering a number of possible solutions to the problem, including traffic directing.
“Traffic directing in a small area will just push the traffic jam further out,” Weimer said.
As of now, the university has no long-term plans to reduce the traffic flow. The hope is that traffic flow will settle down once construction in the area is finished.
Until then, MUPD will be directing traffic during the busiest times of the day. Weimer asks drivers to “be patient and work together” until the situation is under control.
Although there are no renovation plans for this specific area, the Providence Road and Rollins Street area has been an area of interest for some time. There has always been much concern with traffic safety in this area.
In 2005, a vote on capital improvement projects was presented to citizen vote. Columbia residents voted on 20 streets that would be renovated with taxpayer dollars. Many of the streets are in various stages, some complete, and some currently being constructed.
“It usually takes about 10 years from the vote date until the projects are complete,” Stedem said.
At the time of the vote, $1 million was set aside for the Providence Road project. The department now estimates that well over this amount will be needed to complete the project.
“So far, no design has met the needs of residents in the area as well as trying to move traffic,” Stedem said.
The road is on the list for construction, but a design has yet to be chosen.
“A group from the grasslands area is currently working on a better plan,” Stedem said.
Meanwhile, Seville asks drivers to “be patient and safe.”