‘Just have patience’: A comprehensive list of campus changes

Summer brings many thing — on the University of Idaho campus, one of those is changes in parking and campus construction. 

For those who are still familiarizing themselves with the changes, here is a comprehensive list. 

Parking Update

Parking lot 35

The lot, which is north of the Student Health Center, has been paved and converted from a Gold permit lot to an hourly pay lot. This change enhanced safety of parking near the core of campus, as the previous lot was gravel and less structurally sound, according to the Parking and Transportation Services website.

The Gold permit spots were relocated to University Avenue and Idaho Avenue, leading to a net gain of nine Gold permit spaces. The change also added 23 short-term parking spaces in the core of campus.

Meter lot 53 

This parking area now requires walkway access. This moved the campus walkway entry to University Avenue at Ash Street. This prioritized pedestrian safety by limiting vehicle traffic looking for metered parking spaces in high-pedestrian areas.

Parking lot 6

The lot, off College Avenue and Railroad Street, will now house Orange and Purple permit parking. This replaces Purple parking lost on University and Idaho Avenues, providing a net gain of 14 Purple permit spaces. Orange parking in lot 6 is currently underutilized, according to the website.

Parking lot 107

The lot, which is east of the Student Recreation Center, has been converted from a free lot to an hourly pay lot. Payment is required 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday during the academic year. The rate is 50 cents per hour with a two-hour limit. 

The parking on University Avenue and Idaho Avenue was converted to Gold permit parking to replace spaces lost in lot 35. Parking on Ash Street was removed.

Railroad Street and College Avenue

While it previously had free and unregulated parking spaces, has been converted to Red permit parking. This replaced 32 Orange commuter parking spaces lost in lot 6. 

Parking lot 104

Located at the WWAMI building on Sweet Avenue, was scheduled to reopen Aug. 15. The lot was closed for construction at the WWAMI building. The lot will reopen as a Red permit parking lot in the next few weeks, Couch said.

University Avenue, Idaho Avenue and Ash Street 

Both one-ways have been reversed. This allows drivers to drop-off and pick-up passengers at the Ash Street loading zone and exit using University Avenue, according to the website.

Parking permit prices

Priceshave increased to reflect inflated costs of asphalt and paint. PTS will continue to increase parking costs through fiscal year 2024, Mitchell said. 

This year, Gold permits are $352, Orange permits are $260, Red permits are $172, Silver, Purple and Green permits are $224, Economy permits are $47 and Blue permits are $70.

Permit prices for fiscal year 2024 will be $400 for Gold permits, $300 for Orange permits, $200 for Red permits, $300 for Silver, Purple and Green permits, $100 for Economy permits and $100 for Blue permits, according to PTS report estimates.

Permits account for 65% of PTS revenue, Mitchell said. 

Citations make up the remainder of revenue. PTS does not take general funds from the University of Idaho. Increasing permit costs is one way to reduce the amount of the PTS budget reliant on parking citations while continuing to save UI money.

Mitchell said updated parking-related changes are available on the PTS website and Facebook page.

“Check your emails,” Couch said. “We send a lot of emails to certain permit holder groups when things are coming up. It seems a lot of people don’t read those. Emails from parking are important. And also the Daily Register, the myUI, student newsletters, we use that a lot as well. Or call us and ask.”

Construction Update

Line Street 

The street has been under construction since early summer, causing Sixth and Line streets to close, Pankopf said. 

The tunnels underneath the street are over 90 years old. They lead to the steam plant, which provides heating and air conditioning to the entirety of campus. The internet connection from UI to the rest of the world is also housed within the tunnels.

The tunnel lids were beginning to crack beneath the weight of traffic.

Replacing the lids is a delicate process, Pankopf said. 

Construction would have inevitably interfered with either convocation last spring or move-ins this fall. However, construction is ahead of schedule and should be completed by late October or early November, Pankopf said.

Steps between Brink Hall and the Student Union Building 

Water reached the metal underneath the concrete and caused it to rust and expand. This caused the concrete to become unstable and unsafe. The concrete pours to replace the steps are about halfway done. The steps should reopen by Halloween, but students can currently reroute their path through the Student Union Building.

The exterior of the Bruce Pitman Center 

Exterior tiles had been cracking and falling off the side of the building. The tiles are being replaced with a more weatherproof terra cotta-style tile. The construction should not disrupt traffic through the remainder of the process but may cause noise inside the building.

The Idaho Central Credit Union Arena 

The construction site will be active until approximately June 2021. The intent is to open in time for the fall 2021varsity basketball season, Pankopf said. 

He said the construction of an event pavilion north of the Kibbie Dome has been in the planning stages since around the 1940-50s.

The pathway between the north side of the Kibbie Dome to the parking lot has been interrupted by the construction project, diverting foot traffic around the construction zone or the dome itself. A three-way stop has also been added near the construction site. A livestream of the construction site is available on the facilities homepage.

As of Aug. 1, there are 75 active construction-related projects at UI, according to a report from Pankopf. Thirty-seven of those projects are currently under construction. 

Pankopf said the facilities website keeps a list of active construction projects and detours people can make.

“Just have patience,” Pankopf said. “The work is all necessary. We don’t do anything frivolously. We’re trying real hard to be mindful of the academic calendar and to integrate projects in to normal academic operations and life to the best of our ability. There’s often a conflict between the desire to have absolutely no impact and the things that need to be done in order to get the project completed and we work real hard to try to mitigate those.”

Lex Miller can be reached at [email protected]