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  #41  
Old Posted Nov 2, 2009, 8:32 PM
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Originally Posted by Dyingyak View Post
The Morgantown PRT System is very cool but I think the effectiveness is related to the completely unique situation of separated campuses and physical orientation of the city. You're definitely right though that Tuscaloosa should be looking into an alternative transportation system.
Agreed. There appears to be a good distance between the denser central campus and the more sprawled-out outer campus. For now, the Crimson Ride bus system works well for the size and density of the UA campus.
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  #42  
Old Posted Nov 3, 2009, 4:38 AM
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Originally Posted by Dyingyak View Post
The Morgantown PRT System is very cool but I think the effectiveness is related to the completely unique situation of separated campuses and physical orientation of the city. You're definitely right though that Tuscaloosa should be looking into an alternative transportation system.

You know...those are some really poorly designed stations, considering how limited build-able space is in Morgantown, they sure did devise some real estate hungry stations.
You know, I was wondering the same thing about the massive stations... Only thing that I could come up with is that maybe the city and university wanted to get away from the massive asphalt highways and show what they could do with the same amount of space, while improving transit at the same time.

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Originally Posted by ttownfeen View Post
Agreed. There appears to be a good distance between the denser central campus and the more sprawled-out outer campus. For now, the Crimson Ride bus system works well for the size and density of the UA campus.
I don't necessarily agree that the Crimson Ride is adequate. Maybe the year it was implemented it was efficient, but now it takes longer than walking.

A personal example of mine:

I have Urban and Regional Transit Systems in Farrah from 9:30 to 10:45. Fifteen minutes after that class gets out, I have my history section in ten Hoor. If I leave Farrah at 10:45 for ten Hoor, I'll be five to ten minutes late. Why is this? The sidewalks are fine, and they provide direct routes, BUT, University Blvd is so congested that you have to wait for two or three minutes to cross the street. There has never been a Thursday where I've been on time to my History section.

Another. This past spring semester, I had a Tennis class at 9:00 at the Rec. Getting there was fine, cause obviously, I could leave anytime before 8:40 and make it on time. However, I got out of tennis at 9:50, and 10 minutes later, I had to be at BB Comer at 10:00 for Italian. Obviously, I was never going to make it to Italian on time, even though I rode my bike every day. My professor was fine with me being five to ten minutes late twice a week, but I wasn't. Italian is my minor, so I didn't want to miss the beginning of that class twice a week. I eventually gave up on riding my bike, realizing i was never going to make it to class on time anyways, and took the bus, which took roughly the same amount of time (15-20 minutes). So, seeing that I was fighting a losing battle with Father Time, I dropped tennis...

I remember at Bama Bound being told,"Oh yes! you can walk ALL the way from one end of campus to the other within 10 minutes! And taking a bus would take even less time!" And that used to be true... My freshman year, I could make it in ten minutes. But, two years and 4,000 students later, it's impossible.

The buses help reduce vehicle traffic. BUT, they don't do much for pedestrians unless you just simply don't want to walk.

I think it would be a great idea if they made two bus lines that ran north to south and east to west. What would be different is that they would construct special bus lanes, like a two lane road, just divided. These routes would avoid the most pedestrian congested and vehicle congested parts of campus, so as to reduce travel time.

Yes, I do realize that is pretty much impossible
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Last edited by SpawnOfVulcan; Nov 3, 2009 at 4:51 AM.
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  #43  
Old Posted Nov 3, 2009, 5:31 PM
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Yeah, that's one of many issues caused of this overexpansion of the UA enrollment. Maybe you'll discuss CR in your Urban Transit Systems course. Personally, I think the circuit routes used by CR are big time-wasters. They need more things like the Coleman-Quad express - lines that go directly from the periphery of campus to the core. Also, the hub is in a terrible location - it needs to be in the true center of campus - the area behind Gorgas.

But the big, BIG problem, is there is no true management of pedestrian traffic. Pedestrians just come and go as they please, which creates CFs in front of places like ten Hoor, Gordon Palmer, and the Ferguson Center. UA needs to invest in grade-separated pedestrian traffic crossings at key points on campus or, at least, place full-time traffic guards there.
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  #44  
Old Posted Nov 6, 2009, 8:15 PM
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Board of Trustees Approves Construction Projects - Presents Initial Foster rendering

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Crimson White newspaper

The board of trustees, Thursday, approved the initial rendering of the new Foster Auditorium plaza. The plaza, however, will not be on the northern side of the building, but instead on the southern side, facing Burke Hall. The southern side will be renovated to mirror the architecture of the northern side.

The official rendering and design will be approved in February.

Other construction projects included:

Demolition of the East Engineering Building behind Houser Hall will begin soon to make way for the next phase of the SEC (Science and Engineering Complex).


Above is the sight of the "East Engineering Building" that will be demolished.

Also, the trustees budgeted $1 Million for an architect to design a larger dining hall to house the current Subway and Bidgood Bistro.
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  #45  
Old Posted Nov 6, 2009, 9:40 PM
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Originally Posted by Alabadrock View Post
The plaza, however, will not be on the northern side of the building, but instead on the southern side, facing Burke Hall. The southern side will be renovated to mirror the architecture of the northern side.
The south side? That's deficient - that actual "schoolhouse" door was on the north side!

BTW, at Google Maps placing Stillman College in the middle of UA.
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  #46  
Old Posted Nov 7, 2009, 1:34 AM
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Yea, I think they're doing it so that they can preserve where it actually took place, and MAYBE allow the building to retain it's historic landmark status.

Yea, it's funny. And it looks all official with the mortar board and everything, lol. "Yes, this is Stillman and we're stickin to it!"
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  #47  
Old Posted Nov 8, 2009, 7:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Alabadrock View Post
Yea, I think they're doing it so that they can preserve where it actually took place, and MAYBE allow the building to retain it's historic landmark status.
I don't understand what you mean. What exactly is there to preserve on the south side of Foster beside a concrete courtyard and a parking lot? What would this plan do to the south face of Foster that would endanger its historic landmark status?
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  #48  
Old Posted Nov 8, 2009, 7:45 PM
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I don't understand what you mean. What exactly is there to preserve on the south side of Foster beside a concrete courtyard and a parking lot? What would this plan do to the south face of Foster that would endanger its historic landmark status?
There isn't anything on the South side to preserve. I'm speaking of the northside. They're trying to preserve where it took place (on the northside).

Usually when a National Historic Landmark is renovated, especially as extensively as Foster will, this is what happens: Removal of National Historic Landmark status
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  #49  
Old Posted Nov 8, 2009, 11:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Alabadrock View Post
There isn't anything on the South side to preserve. I'm speaking of the northside. They're trying to preserve where it took place (on the northside).
Then I don't understand why they are adding this southern plaza at all. The historic site in the on northern side of the building - that's where any commemorative plaza should be.

Quote:
Usually when a National Historic Landmark is renovated, especially as extensively as Foster will, this is what happens: Removal of National Historic Landmark status
Given the choice between keeping a building in a shabby unusable state for the sake of retaining some arbitrary government designation and renovating it for modern use at the cost of losing the historic designation, I'd take the latter.

I think that's a poor example and precedent anyway. The Bears should be rewarded for preserving the Soldier Field site instead of tearing it down and moving the stadium to the suburbs as so many teams have done.
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  #50  
Old Posted Nov 9, 2009, 12:01 AM
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Then I don't understand why they are adding this southern plaza at all. The historic site in the on northern side of the building - that's where any commemorative plaza should be.



Given the choice between keeping a building in a shabby unusable state for the sake of retaining some arbitrary government designation and renovating it for modern use at the cost of losing the historic designation, I'd take the latter.

I think that's a poor example and precedent anyway. The Bears should be rewarded for preserving the Soldier Field site instead of tearing it down and moving the stadium to the suburbs as so many teams have done.

Oh, I agree. But, of course, I'm not making the decisions. You have to remember, the Board of Trustees doesn't REALLY care about what the students think.

It would be nice if the federal government board that does these landmark status's and the University could actually work together to come up with some kinda plan that would prevent it from losing it's NHL status.

Of course, we don't know for sure if it ever will lose its status. I guess we just have to wait and see.
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  #51  
Old Posted Nov 11, 2009, 8:23 PM
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This isn't development or anything, but it is some very good news.

Wendell Hudson has gotten a commitment from the nations No. 5 recruit for Women's basketball. http://blog.al.com/bamabeat/2009/11/...nds_a_cor.html
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  #52  
Old Posted Dec 24, 2009, 8:47 AM
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Stadium

The actual deck for the South Endzone Expansion is now under construction. The diagonal supports for the deck are now being cast.

Science and Engineering Complex

The east engineering building is now demolished and the have begun construction on what I guess is the foundation. I couldn't see very much, it was dark, and I really wanted to get home. The have a LARGE area fenced off for the construction area, so I can only guess that A LOT of the parking lots and the unused roadways (vacant parts of the original Hackberry route, and the orphaned segment of campus drive).

Capstone College of Nursing

Brick work is now underway. Pretty much all of the skeleton is finished and the exterior is now under construction.
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  #53  
Old Posted Dec 31, 2009, 7:37 PM
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UA grows by a third with acquisition

Most interesting part of the article is the part where future use is suggested:

Quote:
No move-in date was suggested Wednesday, but Witt has said there will likely be a two- to three-year window between the sale and UA establishing a presence on the Bryce campus because mental health staff and patients cannot move until a new hospital is built.

Witt said in an interview in September the first thing UA administrators would likely do upon obtaining the property is build larger, nicer intramural fields, freeing up space where the fields now sit — between Campus Drive and University Boulevard — for academic buildings.

UA officials provided a map in a study of the Bryce sale earlier this year that showed the potential use of the campus. There appears to be a new varsity track and field stadium in the east part of the property alongside intramural fields in the southeast, a ‘Bryce Memorial Park' in the middle and multiple academic and administrative buildings in the west and north.

Still, the Bryce property is not something that will be developed quickly, and likely would have little new development under Witt's presidency.

UA trustees will have to approve the deal, but Witt said trustees have been consulted individually.
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  #54  
Old Posted Dec 31, 2009, 8:49 PM
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I like that they want to move intramural fields to the Bryce Property to open up the current space for more academic buildings. I'd hate to see students having to walk miles everyday just to get to class. Oh wait...
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  #55  
Old Posted Jan 2, 2010, 6:38 AM
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First post on the board, but I've been reading it for some time.

I also like the idea of more academic buildings on University. I was also wondering what exactly are they planning on doing with Russell Hall once the new nursing building is completed?
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  #56  
Old Posted Jan 2, 2010, 11:27 AM
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First post on the board, but I've been reading it for some time.

I also like the idea of more academic buildings on University. I was also wondering what exactly are they planning on doing with Russell Hall once the new nursing building is completed?
Welcome to the board

I have no idea what the plan to do with it, but I imagine that we'll be seeing a lot of shuffling of departments in the buildings soon... there have been some rumors floating around Farrah, that the Geography department is going to be moved to the Biology Building, with the Bio Department being moved to the SEC.

I guess we'll see. It'll be a while before we really see any real shuffling I imagine. But, I'll probably still be at UA when it happens... ugh
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  #57  
Old Posted Jan 15, 2010, 7:59 PM
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Destruction on the East Engineering Building is ongoing. They're almost finished. It looks like a bomb went off over there.

Gorgas Library renovations are underway, to create a more comfortable atmosphere that allows for more collaboration between students and faculty.

Foster renovations are still underway. The foundation construction on the rear of the building (Burke side) are complete and it looks like they are moving on to the expansion part of the the deal.

The national championship celebration takes place this Saturday in Bryant Denny Stadium. I can't wait to find out what the new statue looks like
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  #58  
Old Posted Jan 16, 2010, 3:23 AM
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I was actually going to take photos of some of the construction on campus yesterday, but I might do it next week. If I do I will post them on here. Behind the Capstone Hotel they are building a smaller building. It is actually behind RBC bank on University.

The UA site was asking for opinions of the plans for Foster. The rendering looks good if you ask me.

I can't wait to see the work that they plan to do along University Blvd. I wish that they would get rid of some of the stuff between DCH and the band field. I don't mind Arbys, I love Newks, but a couple of the things are eye sores.
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  #59  
Old Posted Jan 16, 2010, 4:24 AM
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Behind the Capstone Hotel they are building a smaller building. It is actually behind RBC bank on University.
That's the new facility for the local Jewish temple going up.
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  #60  
Old Posted Jan 16, 2010, 8:15 PM
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I don't think that anybody knows what the true plans are, but that is just a little bit of what I have heard. I have also heard a rumor that the school wants really build up a medical school in Tuscaloosa. I have full faith in President Whitt and believe that he is going to make UA even better than it already is.
Starting a medical sounds a bit far fetched. There are larger political issues that would have to overcome for something like that happens (basically UAB and South Alabama would not allow this to happen).

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I'm thinking that this new parking lot is being built to take pressure off that Gorgas lot, so that it can take over the duties after the Gorgas lot is torn up.
Capstone Drive is faculty/staff parking. The administration doesn't have the ability to to push them around to fit their every whim like then can with students. A place for more FS spaces would have to be found somewhere close by - a parking lot across from the rec center won't cut it. (I think the new parking lot is supposed to be commuter parking, so this is a moot a point anyway.)
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