A portion of Cornell's Tower Road -- from Judd Falls Road to Campus Road in the vicinity of Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) and the College of Veterinary Medicine -- is scheduled to be rebuilt beginning the week of June 9. While the road will be closed to through traffic until Aug. 20, emergency access will be maintained to all facilities on the east end of campus for the duration of the project.

Work will include complete reconstruction of the road base and pavement with a new drainage system, granite curbing, new bus pull-offs and landscaping. The road width will be increased, where necessary, to incorporate new bicycle lanes. In addition, a sanitary-sewer main will be replaced and the Veterinary Research Tower parking lot will be improved.

Site restoration and landscape work will begin this fall. The project is estimated to cost $300,000.

When improvements are completed, traffic should move through the area more easily and motorists and bicyclists should experience a smoother, safer driving surface, said Robert Chiang, project manager. "The road surface has deteriorated over the years," Chiang said, "but the problem goes much deeper, and that's why we need to do extensive drainage work."

Parking lot access will be maintained by phasing work on sections of Tower Road. Modification of bus routes is being coordinated through TCAT and the Cornell transportation office, which will place detour signs in the area and send an advisory to employees who park in lots accessed from Tower Road. Bus stops at the Vet Research Tower and in front of BTI will be closed through Aug. 20, but a temporary stop will be established at the intersection of Campus and Tower roads for westbound buses. An eastbound stop already exists adjacent to Stocking Hall.

Pedestrian access to the construction area will be coordinated by the contractor; deliveries will be coordinated by individual building coordinators.

For more information on the project, contact Chiang at 255-6613 or by e-mail at rhc3@cornell.edu.