Construction on Bobcat Way is currently working towards several improvements, including widening the road itself, in an attempt to make the area more pedestrian-friendly.

The purpose of the project is to make the front end of Bobcat Way look like the recently reconstructed area from the Mountainview dorm to the Bobcat Den. It is planned for the road to be widened enough to make it so two-way traffic can exist and not interfere with parking spaces on the edges. There will also be more crosswalks and more landscaping.

Joseph Rubertone has been the associate vice president for facilities administration at Quinnipiac for 35 years.

“We want it to be more pedestrian, to be a place where students can walk, talk and gather without it being another Whitney Avenue or busy street,” Rubertone said.

The construction being seen right now is under-road replacement of the current 4-foot culvert, an underground pipe that lets water through. The new culvert will be 11-feet wide and 4-feet high. The relocating of these utilities will hopefully make the bridge into a “focal point,” Rubertone said.

On the bridge, a seating spot for people to gather will be added, as well as devices on the bridge that will hold banners welcoming parents or promoting school spirit. The goal is for the replacements to turn the spot into a “destination,” according to Rubertone.

Even though construction has just recently started, utilities work and meetings have been taking place for a while. This is the second phase of a two-phase project that was started last summer. It was supposed to have taken place a couple years ago, but was postponed for a year due to approval of the York Hill project.

“We plan to do a significant amount of work during the Spring Break week,” Rubertone said.

The project is expected to be complete by the time students return in August.