A major traffic pattern has changed at Michigan Tech. Cliff Drive runs behind campus, and is now a one-way street. Traffic flow is now only west to east, flowing from the Administration Building to the Rozsa. The change is intended to “help alleviate the parking congestion on campus,” said Transportation Operations Manager, Gail Kotajarvi-Gerard. Roughly 64 parking spaces have been added on the south side of the street.
The new metered parking became available on Sep. 20, and is available via ParkMobile. The preexisting motorcycle parking will be unaffected. Sections of road immediately adjacent to Highway 41 will remain open for two-way traffic, preserving access to parking lots one and 10.
The “parking congestion,” as Kotajarvi-Gerard put it, is far from solved. This modification comes from a place of necessity as lot nine will soon be under construction to become a dorm. Lot 9 currently provides 261 parking spaces, resulting in a loss of almost 200 spaces. According to the Campus Master Plan 2022, the dorms are intended to have a parking structure as a base. All 261 parking spaces would be replaced, with hopes to add more. However, plans like these take time. During that time students will be left with fewer parking spaces while the student body grows. Michigan Tech is going through growing pains, so as parking begins to disappear in the name of improving campus, remain patient with yourself and others. Another potential option instead of driving to campus is taking the bus. Transportation Services provides bus routes to and from campus, servicing Hancock and Houghton.
This sudden change to Cliff Drive goes to show how dynamic the campus is. Staying informed of changes will also allow you to participate in a campus-wide discourse where students can make themselves heard. The Campus Master Plan is available at
https://www.mtu.edu/campus-master-plan/. Exploring the plan and getting a feel for the way things are headed could provide more perspective. It is up to the students to lobby for their own interests, something an ill-informed population cannot do.
