Lafayette College began construction on McCartney Street sidewalks on Sept. 30. The developments are part of the broader, Easton-run Pedestrian Safety Project.
“The goal of the Pedestrian Safety Project is to provide safer walkways for all pedestrians on-campus: students, faculty, staff, visitors and the local community,” said Emily Papp, a development manager with Aegis Property Group who is managing the project.
The current construction is part of Phase 2 of the project, according to Papp. This phase includes “new sidewalks, crosswalk bump outs, crosswalk striping, new lighting, trees, benches and trash cans.”
The construction will occur in four phases, according to the Lafayette Today. Each phase will last between two to four weeks and shut down a different portion of McCartney Street or Clinton Terrace.
The project is partially funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development Multimodal Transportation Fund, a program that “provides grants to encourage economic development and ensure that a safe and reliable system of transportation is available to the residents of the commonwealth,” according to its website.
Some students in residence halls located near the construction had varying opinions on the construction’s impact.
“They do construction in the morning, which is annoying and it interferes with sleep,” said Nikita Kogan ‘28, who lives in McKeen Hall. “Personally, it doesn’t affect me that much because I have class before they start, but I come back from class and it’s still there.”
Jordan Ginsburg ‘28, who also lives in McKeen Hall, agreed that the noise had not been a big problem, but mentioned that not being able to park along the street “was a big hindrance.”
“It’s very easy to avoid,” Ryan Leibowitz ‘28 said.
This phase of the Pedestrian Safety Project is projected to be completed near the end of December.
