The University of Virginia has started construction on a project just steps away from its iconic Rotunda that should provide a greater barrier between pedestrians and motor vehicles along the bustling University Avenue that wraps around Grounds.
The work, expected to last until the end of the year, involves augmenting the low wall that currently runs parallel to the street. In addition to a larger barrier, the university’s Facilities Management team will tear up the existing curb to install a mountable one with more of a slope, so as not to damage any tires that may run into it.
“The current curb is almost flush with the road, and this will create a more substantial demarcation between the pedestrian path and the roadway,” the project coordinator Megan Buschi said in a statement announcing the project.
Construction crews will also be removing the planters that are currently sitting along University Avenue, …