Inside Iowa State

July 22, 2004

Name changes follow road realignment

by Anne Krapfl

The realignment of Union Drive and Knoll Road south of the Gerdin Business Building is on schedule for completion by Saturday, Aug. 14.

One component of the project, a new east exit lane from the Memorial Union parking ramp, is scheduled to open Monday, August 2. Until Aug. 14, drivers exiting the parking ramp only would be able to proceed northeast on Wallace Road.

The realignment has modified the former Union Drive-Knoll Road intersection enough to compel campus planners to recommend name changes for some street segments in that part of campus. The key changes are:

• The southern segment of Knoll Road (between Lincoln Way and Union Drive) will become part of Union Drive. Union Drive now will stretch from Lincoln Way on the south to Sheldon Avenue on the west.
• The segment of Union Drive that extended northeast, from approximately East Hall to Hamilton Hall, will become part of Wallace Road.
• The segment of Wallace Road on the east side of campus, from the Maple-Willow-Larch residence complex to Hamilton Hall, will become Beach Road. (Beach Avenue is the city of Ames' name for this road south of Lincoln Way).

The Beach Road signs reflecting this change should be in place by July 30, with the remainder of the road sign changes done by Aug. 13, according to Cathy Brown, campus planner

The road project, which began March 1, realigns Knoll Road with Union Drive to develop a stronger south entrance to central campus. It included moving and replacing the bridge over College Creek and building a new retaining wall along the east exit of the Union parking ramp. A new intersection will be about 200 feet south and west of the former intersection.

When the project is complete, traffic on all of Union Drive will be two-way, including the portion in front of the Memorial Union.

Before

(click on map for enlarged map)

After

(click on map for enlarged map)

Realignment of Union Drive and Knoll Road south of the Gerdin Business Building should be completed Aug. 14. Part of the project includes a new exit lane from the Memorial Union parking ramp. In addition, some road names will be changed.