Upon completion, the new parking lot replacing Terrace Hall will have about 160 parking spaces for students, faculty and staff.

As reported in yesterday’s Daily Kent Stater, Terrace Hall will be torn down this summer and a new surface parking lot will be built for fall. The new lot will include metered parking for visitors as well as bike racks. Students, faculty and staff can access the lot through the entry off of Midway Drive.

According to a preliminary plan from Tom Euclide, director of architecture and engineering, the other entrance off of Terrace Drive will be for buses only. A gate will be installed which can only be controlled by the bus drivers. This new bus stop will replace the current PARTA bus stop located on Terrace Drive across from White Hall. Moving the bus stop off of the main road to this safer location will minimize bus, car and pedestrian conflicts, Euclide explained in an e-mail yesterday. Benches and bus shelters will also be included to fit the needs of the new bus stop.

The new bus route between Terrace Drive and Midway Drive will eliminate the need for buses to wait at the Midway Drive and Main Street intersection and the Terrace Drive and Main Street intersection. This will substantially shorten the time it takes riders to get to their destinations, Euclide said.

A new boulevard entrance to the university will be created on Midway Drive, which will also be widened to accommodate increased traffic. The two existing street lanes on Midway Drive will be turned into dual northbound turning lanes from Midway Drive to Main Street, Euclide said. A new lane will be created on the west side of the existing trees currently lining the Terrace Hall parking lot, he added. Existing mature trees will be located in an island between the north and southbound lanes on Midway Drive, he said.

To minimize the potential of car headlights disturbing surrounding residential areas, the parking lot layout has the parking spaces facing at an angle to Main Street, Euclide said. Landscaping will also help shield residential areas from headlight beams.

Before Terrace Hall can be torn down, it must go through deconstruction. This step includes removing all salvageable items such as surplus furniture, light fixtures, copper piping and wires, aluminum windows and railings, glass and marble. This minimizes the amount of material shipped to landfills and reduces the overall cost of the project, Euclide said.

Deconstruction should begin in April. Demolition will start after classes end in May, and the new lot will be opened in late September or October, Euclide said.

Contact buildings and grounds reporter Jennifer Mussig at [email protected].