Archive: Around Town

September 7, 2006 - On Friday, September 8, the Thurston Avenue Bridge, which links several streets in the central portion of the Cornell University campus, will be closed for construction. The bridge will be completely closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic for approximately three weeks while new steel arches are installed.

Ten separate TCAT routes will be affected by the bridge closing, and there may be times when trips across campus will take longer than usual, due to detours and changed traffic patterns.

TCAT buses will travel on temporary detours on two popular routes (#30 and 32) that go through the campus on the way to Pyramid Mall, as well as the routes that shuttle Cornell staff to and from campus parking lots. Night service (#12, 92, 93) for Ithaca College and the Commons, and night and weekend service for the Cornell campus will also be affected. Several bus stops will be relocated, and riders are advised to follow on-site signage.

TCAT and Cornell officials are recommending that riders who travel between downtown and the central campus rely as much as possible on the #10 route. Buses on this route run every ten minutes from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every weekday. The trip from the Commons to central campus will be unimpeded by the construction project. TCAT will put its largest capacity buses on the route for the duration of the bridge closing.

“We will be doing our best to accommodate everyone’s needs and we ask for your patience and understanding for this three-week period,” said Nancy Oltz, TCAT’s Manager of Operations.

Traffic on the Thurston Avenue Bridge has been reduced to one lane since March 2006. When the current construction phase is completed, the bridge will re-open to one lane of southbound traffic and one pedestrian walkway. Another complete closing of the bridge is scheduled for March through mid-August, 2007.

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