Speedway

An inside look into the problems and possible solutions in the construction of speedway.

By Trevor Heinz

The large road known as Speedway runs through the center of The University of Texas’s main campus, but it hasn’t always been one of the main attractions of UT. A plan was established in 1999 to transform Speedway into a space for students, not vehicles. Speedway was remade into a pedestrian mall, but the problems faced in converting the road haven’t ceased.

Heavy rainfall and a substantial pressure on the road have caused bricks to crack. Construction of Speedway started in 2015 but with the frequent problems faced during manufacturing the project continues to this day.

“There are two brick types, we discovered that the darker colored brick was cracking under load and when we tested it, we determined that it did not meet the specifications of the project,” Jim Shackelford, Director of Capital Planning and Construction for UT, said.

This on-going construction causes parts of the road to be constantly blocked off from the public. With a limited amount of room to walk to and from class, students and staff have felt that the overcrowding of Speedway is becoming a problem.

“It was congested before, and when there is construction it gets even more congested because they shut down other roads,” Nathan Bondurant, a student at The University of Texas, said.

Although crowding is a problem now, many students and staff expect benefits to come in the future.

“Speedway mall is intended to provide a student gathering place… but it also provides a pedestrian circulation spot the entire length of campus… and by getting all the parking off the street, it becomes a safer environment for all that use it,” Shackelford said.

Although vehicles aren’t allowed on the road, bikes and scooters trying to navigate through students have created another problem.

“The scooters used to be pretty dangerous… it’d be nice to have an actual bike lane on speedway,” Bondurant said.

UT has implemented an 8-mph speed limit on scooters on campus to try and reduce the number of scooter related accidents.

“I see the potential Speedway has when it comes to efficiency, but it’s hard to get behind it when all I constantly see is constructing and new repairs… it feels like it’s never going to finish,” Bondurant said.

While some students are skeptical, others are looking forward to the finished project. Speedway has a lot of potential in the eyes of many, a safer campus, and a more efficient way to travel to and from campus and a visually appealing commodity are some of the things that catch their eyes.