The Irma/Dana pedestrian bridge has been closed for the foreseeable future, as per Quinnipiac University Office of Residential Life’s email sent out to the student body last week.
“The Facilities team has recently observed that the Irma/Dana pedestrian bridge has shifted… the bridge will need to be closed until it can be replaced,” The Office of Residential Life wrote.
The bridge sits between Irmagarde Tator hall and the Recreation and Wellness Center. Both sides of the bridge are currently blocked, preventing students from using it.
This has led to much frustration among students. Jillian Kelley, a first-year undecided business major and resident of Dana English hall, expressed her concerns on the issue.“It’s just an inconvenience, because we live in Dana,” Kelley said. “So now we, instead of walking through, have to walk all the way around. It’s just annoying.”
This has also impacted students’ arrival time to class.
“It sometimes makes it harder to get to class like on time, I’ll have to leave earlier or walk around the other way,” freshman undecided business major Grace Sharan said.
Aside from students who live in the nearby dorms, other students have also been impacted by the bridge closure.
“I definitely feel it’s inconvenient,” sophomore Physical Therapy major Conor McAllister said. “I mean, the first time I saw it, I was like, ‘How am I supposed to go?’ I gotta walk back. I come across here every day, around, go to the gym, play basketball, stuff like that.”
Despite the bridge being closed, students have noticed that the bridge appears to be fine, causing speculation on why it was closed in the first place.
Michael Lombardi, a first-year undecided major, pointed out this fact, “I don’t know why it’s closed, it doesn’t look broken or anything. I think it should be like top priority to fix it, because students use it a lot, especially Irma and Dana (residents).”
While the university has acknowledged the issue, it seems unlikely that it will open again anytime soon. This fact was confirmed by John Morgan, the associate vice president for public relations in a statement he wrote to The Chronicle, “There is currently no timetable for completion, as a new bridge will need to be designed and approved before construction can begin. In the meantime, pedestrians should use the other bridge by the Larson residence hall and the walkway by the library. We appreciate the community’s patience and cooperation as we work to ensure the long-term safety and accessibility of the bridge.”
