Having to walk up to Wells Street and over the bridge to get to Straz Tower or taking the Tory Hill route has become part of normal life on campus ever since the Wisconsin Avenue bridge was knocked down in March 2006. Still, the question on everyone’s mind is, “When is it going to be finished?” Well, the end is in sight. Dr. Toby Peters, associate president for the administration, has said, “The city has told us that the deadline they hope to meet will be Dec. 1.” Peters added that the Marquette Interchange project as a whole is ahead of schedule and that hopefully the project will be completed in spring 2008.

Peters attributes the speediness of the project to the communication between Marquette University and the city planners in finding a work schedule that satisfies both parties’ needs. “We were able to work with the city in planning construction at certain hours so that it would minimize the disruption to the students on campus,” said Peters. “We were able to get most of the noisy construction out of the way during the summer.”

A common problem with construction is noise pollution. John Stepp, a freshman resident of Straz, said, “If you had the window closed you really couldn’t notice it. But if you opened the window up there was no chance of you being able to study.”

Even some Cobeen residents were angered at the amount of noise from the bridge project. Freshman Linette Rizos said, “When we first got here, the pile drivers were quite annoying and at night the lights from the construction site would make it hard to fall asleep.” Rizos also commented that lately the construction has been relatively quiet.

In terms of any disruption of walking routes near or underneath the interchange near the Tory Hill area, Peters said that the city has tried its best to keep that route open to students as a way to get to and from Straz. When asked about the future of the Marquette Interchange Project and its effects on campus, Peters commented, “After the bridge project is completed, most of the work affecting the campus will be ending within a year.” Peters also thanked the students for their putting up with, and working around the construction that has so far occurred on campus.

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