This summer, Campus Operations began a series of campus-wide construction projects that are expected to continue through April 2024. These projects include major road work, facility upgrades, and replacing water and sewer lines that are over 50 years old. This work will make traffic and pedestrian travel around campus challenging at times. Your patience is greatly appreciated during this period, and we hope you will join us in celebrating these accomplishments once they are completed.
Construction Projects
The map below outlines the entirety of 2023 construction projects, either currently in progress or those that have yet to be completed.
Bus and Shuttle Routes
updated 8/15/23
Asheville City Bus and University Shuttle routes will be impacted by these projects. There will still be two city bus stops, but their locations may change as the project progresses. Currently, they are by the silver Bulldog on University Heights near the Justice Center and at the WT Weaver Blvd. stop across from the Health and Counseling Center. Electric vehicle charging can be accessed in the Zageir Hall Parking Deck and in parking lot P10.
Click map images to view larger
The sidewalk bordering Rhoades Tower along University Heights will be closed for approximately 10 days starting on Friday Sept 29. The sidewalk closure is necessary for the waterline tie-in. An alternate route around the sidewalk closure is shown below.
Please contact Campus Operations if you have any questions.
On Saturday, September 30, Campus Operations will have a planned water outage as part of the roadway project. Work will begin at 8 a.m. and will likely be restored by 3 p.m.
A newly installed water line must be tied into the existing system in Robinson Hall, Rhoades Hall, and Rhoades Tower.
Interruption of water service is not expected outside of the locations listed above. If you do experience an interruption of water service, loss of water pressure, or discolored water, please notify University Police at 828-232-5000. They will contact onsite Campus Operations personnel.
If you have any questions of concerns, please contact Campus Operations.
The track will be closed Tuesday, September 19 between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The track will be closed Thursday, September 14 between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The track will be closed Tuesday, September 12 between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Parking lot P5 is now open. Additionally, the track will open today, Friday, September 8 at 5 p.m. It will be closed Monday, September 11 between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Parking lot P5 will be closed beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, September 5, through 5 p.m. Friday, September 8 to allow the contractor to safely move materials to the track infield.
- The track will be closed Wednesday, September 6 through Friday, September 8 between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Please relay any questions or concerns you have have to campus_operations@unca.edu.
The raised crosswalk from Highsmith Student Union toward Phillips Hall will be closed today, Thursday, August 31, for work related to the roadway project. It will be reopened as soon as possible. The raised crosswalk from Brown Hall toward Rhoades-Robinson Hall is still closed as well.
A small section of sidewalk on the Quad near Phillips Hall will be closed on August 23. An outside contractor will be pouring concrete in the area, as well as within the construction fence near Delany Hall.
The Karl Straus Track will open today, Wednesday, August 23 at 5:00 p.m. and will remain open until Monday, August 28 at 9:00 a.m. It will be closed beginning Monday, August 28 at 9:00 a.m. until Tuesday, August 29 at 3:00 p.m.
Due to unforeseen construction hazards on the track surface, it will remain closed tomorrow, Wednesday, August 23. Additionally, the use of the track prior to 8 a.m. and after 5 p.m. will not be permitted until further notice.
The track will now be closed both on Monday, August 21 and on Tuesday, August 22 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.It will be open outside these hours and during the weekend. Please note that the gates will be locked during construction hours.
Electricians have not yet completed electrical work on the track, which will be closed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday. Please note that you must have your Rocky Card or a wrist band to use the facility.
Additionally, there are coyote decoys on the grass infield to deter wild geese from the new sod.
Electrical work at the Justice Center Athletic Pool is starting today and is expected to be completed by September 4. The contractor’s shifts are scheduled for Monday through Thursday, between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The map below details the construction zone and the areas to avoid, except for emergency needs.
The Brown Hall crosswalk will be closed today, Tuesday, August 15 for work related to the roadway project. It will be reopened as soon as possible.
As the University continues to improve the quality of campus water systems, section of sidewalk on campus will be closed during the week of August 14 for concrete repair, barring rain or other inclement weather.
- Between Karpen Hall and Rhoades Robinson, including the sidewalk from Phillips Hall / Curry Courtyard onto the Quad
- Delany Hall entrance near Mullen James Humanities Lecture Hall
There will be a short-term, temporary closure of the track on from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. starting Wednesday, August 16 through Friday, August 18. The track will be open both outside these hours and throughout the weekend. Please note that the gates will be locked during the specified hours.
Throughout all of next week, August 14-18, contractors will be pouring concrete within the construction zone near Delany Hall. As a result, there will be intermittent road closures and slow traffic on University Heights near Zeis Hall and parking lots P25 and P26.
Concrete truck deliveries will occur on Wednesday, August 9 for the Quad and again on Thursday, August 10 for Tennent Park. There will be intermittent road closures and slow traffic on University Heights near Zeis Hall during this time.
As part of the project to upgrade and repair water and sewer lines, sections of sidewalk both on the Quad and near Mullen James Humanities Lecture Hall will be closed during the week of August 7 for concrete repair. See below to view specific locations.
Plans regarding the closure of the track facility have changed. The track will now be fully open for the entire week of August 7.
A section of the sidewalk on the Quad spanning from Karpen Hall to Rhoades/Robinson Hall will be closed on Wednesday, August 2 from 1:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. for a domestic water tie-in. See the specific area below.
Portions of the track facility are still an active construction site. Additionally, as several electrical items on and around the track require maintenance, temporary, short-term closures of the track will be required throughout this process. Some closures may be all day, while others may only last 3-4 hours. You will be notified of these closures in as much advance as possible, but some closures may have little to no prior notice in order to complete this project in a timely manner.
The track facility will be closed from Wednesday, August 2 through Friday, August 4, as well as August 7 through August 11. This closure will result in all-day outages during these days. Gates will be locked at 8 a.m. and will reopen at 5 p.m. Use of the track outside this time frame will be permitted. The track will also be open during the weekend.
This project will close University Heights from the elevated crosswalk at Governors Hall to the Zeis Hall Crosswalk. Construction will affect traffic patterns, parking, bus and shuttle routes, pedestrian travel, and access to electric vehicle charging stations. Admission and ADA (Accessible) parking will be relocated to Parking Lot P25. The project will also create a new 2-way traffic pattern from University Heights; please see the map for details. Lots P1 and P34 are All Permit lots and will continue to have parking readily available.
Pedestrian access will be available via the elevated crosswalk in front of Governors Hall and the Zeis crosswalk. The Highsmith and Brown hall elevated crosswalks will be closed as well, but may open back up if logistics and safety allow.
Asheville City Bus and University Shuttle routes will also be impacted. There will still be 2 city bus stops, but their locations may change as the project progresses.
Electric vehicle charging can be accessed in the Zageir Hall Parking Deck and in Parking lot P10.
Phase 1 of this work began in early July and is expected to continue through the end of October. Phase 2 will involve the section of road from the WT Weaver traffic circle to Owen Hall. It will begin in November and is expected to continue through April 2024.
See the map below for more details on the closures and changes in traffic patterns.
Questions or Concerns?
Contact Campus Operations at campus_operations@unca.edu or 828.251.6564.
