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About The Prospector (Helena, Mont.) 1916-2015 | View This Issue
The Prospector (Helena, Mont.), 01 March 2002, located at <http://montananewspapers.org/lccn/TheProspector/2002-03-01/ed-1/seq-1/>, image provided by MONTANA NEWSPAPERS, Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana.
SUPPORTING THE ARTS: Holier Museum of Art celebrates its grand reopening with style. Page 5 HIGHER EDUCATION: Strategies for finding, applying, and getting into the perfect grad school program. Page 6 BATTLE SCARS: \We Were Soldiers” offers new look at the Vietnam War. Page 11 Lyndale Avenue project disrupts the campus By Ashley Oliverio For The Prospector In case you were too focused on midterms and spring break to notice, Lyndale Avenue is half tom down, with other excitement planned over the next several months. “It’s almost impossible to merge into only one lane during rush hour traffic,” said one frustrated driver, junior performing arts major Myriah Bergquist. “I’ve seen cars backed up all the way to Malfunction Junction.” ' According to Dennis Unsworth, a private contractor hired by the State of Montana’s Department of Transportation as spokesman for the North Main and Lyndale Project, the tumult will not last forever. “It’s a complicated project, involving street, bridge and utility work,” Unsworth said. “But by this time next year, the access to Carroll College will be much improved.” Carroll has already felt some of the impact, with the closure of Getchell Street back in February. Getchell will remain closed for about six months, if the construction project contin ues without delay. According to Unsworth, this $5.8 million project on a mere one mile of road involves about a dozen different subcontractors. With Montana weather vagaries a constant threat and other complications that could conceivably arise, the projected project completion time in early October might be delayed. One such complication is the planned instal lation of a 90-inch storm drain under Lyndale. Projected to begin in late spring or early sum mer, the storm drain phase might become extraordinarily time-consuming if traffic con tinues over Lyndale during its installation. A possible detour route, which the contractor has tentatively plotted out as a gravel road winding its way from the YMCA paved parking lot over Best Routes to Exit the Carroll Campus In order to exit campus, drivers will need to go up to Park Street, which runs directly into the Campus Center, and then lake a right to get to the light at Benton. If drivers wish to take a left from Park Street and head eastbound back over the bridge toward the Armory or Donut Hole, it may be possible. However, this maneuver requires that the vehicle get across two lanes of traffic and this may be highly unlikely during Helena’s rush hour traffic. The best recommendation for students, faculty, and staff trying to exit the Carroll College campus? Consider exiting the campus on Benton Avenue, taking a right towards Custer Avenue, heading toward the golf course and ball fields, and circling around down by Shopko. The route takes longer, but avoids most all of the construction. to the Getchell Street area, is a potential option to divert vehicles from the construction site altogether. According to Unsworth, the detour plan is off the table at this point but could be revived. “They’re still weighing that option,” Unsworth said. “The way we’re doing it now by keeping one side of Lyndale open is less disruptive to the public, though it remains more disruptive to the construction workers on the job.” When the current phase of work ends on Lyndale’s north side, it will open to traffic simultaneously with the closure of Lyndale’s south side for bridge demolition and construc tion work. The shift from north to south side work will probably occur a few months from now, hopefully over the summer. Light awaits at the end of this tunnel of traf fic woes, Unsworth maintains. Improvements • that will directly effect the Carroll community include a 4-way traffic light installed at the intersection of Getchell Street and Lyndale and a relocation of Getchell on the Carroll side of Lyndale so it will line up with the Getchell on Lyndale’s south side. A new, fully lit pedestrian underpass will be constructed beneath Lyndale, allowing students easier access to the Great Northern area and downtown Helena. By low ering the height of the Lyndale overpass by about half its pre-construction elevation, Unsworth says, the college will be more visi ble from town as well, furthering the psycho logical connection between campus and the surrounding community. While no other major changes to campus ingress and egress are currently on the table, the best route to use for entering and exiting campus remains Benton Avenue. Park is also available and open but connects with Lyndale and its cavalcade of frustrated motorists. Despite the inconvenience, many students feel that the final product will be worth it. “The traffic is irritating,” said Janet Novotny, junior performing arts and psycholo gy major, “but I think it will be a great improvement when it is completed.” Anyone with questions, concerns or the desire to learn the minutiae of the project can attend any of its free, weekly, public meetings or contact the project manager. Every Monday at 9 a.m., you are welcome to drop by the Montana Power Company’s lower building conference room located on North Main, just north of the Memorial Park pool area, and speak to the representatives of those involved. You may also call 449-4007, extension 16, to reach the primary contractor, Maronick Construction of Helena, and speak with the project manager if you have any issues with the project. DEAD END: The current road construction taking place on Lyndale Avenue, located north of the Carroll College campus, has closed Getchell Street and restricted access both to and from the campus. The construction presents an inconvenience to drivers, but will ultimately result in improvements that will directly impact the Carroll community.
