Construction on the parking garage is slated to begin in May of this year and to conclude in July of 2003, according to Vice President for Administration Claude Rounds. The recent parking proposal addresses this time period specifically, as it is expected to be the most difficult time for parking.

Once the new parking garage is complete, pressure on the campus parking facilities will be eased. However, this is not where the school’s plans end.

“You should really look at this new parking garage as the first step in our long-range traffic plan, not the last step,” Rounds said.

Though nothing has been set in stone, Rounds mentioned a number of ideas his office has been considering for implementation in Fall 2003.

The new campus shuttle, which will run from the Houston Field House and surrounding lots to the northeast corner of the JEC, will continue to run after the construction is complete.

The shuttle schedule will be tweaked as more is observed about usage and traffic patterns.

“Once we get the schedule up and running, we’ll be able to change it with minimal effort,” said Oliver Holmes, acting senior director for campus planning and facilities design. CDTA, by comparison, requires up to six months to modify their schedules for the campus, according to Holmes.

The permit system will also be revamped. The current lot assignments will be reorganized, and the use of lot-specific permits is under consideration.

Along with the new permit assignments, the office is considering redesigned decals with color codes for different lots, making it easier to spot vehicles parked where they’re not allowed.

Rounds said that he didn’t know whether significant changes would be made to resident student parking, but he did say that such changes would be avoided if possible. “We’re going to use every effort to do that,” he said.

Other methods of controlling access to the parking lots are on the table. Rounds mentioned the addition of gates at the entrances of parking facilities as one possibility. Such gates could be supervised by Institute staff or regulated by some other form of access control technology.

The final plan will address parking issues faced by the RPI community as well as the community immediately surrounding the college campus. Many students now use street parking in the neighborhoods surrounding RPI. Rounds hopes this infusion will decrease with the new parking measures.

“We are committed to working with the city and neighborhood associations … to reduce the impact of Rensselaer’s parking on the community,” he said.

The Administration Division will be seeking feedback from the Faculty Senate, Student Senate, and the Parking Review Board in future weeks regarding further developments in both the interim plan and long-range goals.

Rounds said the feedback received so far has been helpful.