New parking ramp still in early stages

While UW-La Crosse begins construction on the new dormitory, the plans for a new parking ramp are taking shape. A committee has begun the early stages of a plan to build a four-story parking ramp on the gravel lots by the Cleary Alumni Center on Farwell Street. Landscapers and designers are scheduled to look at the area soon to determine if it is sound enough to build the structure.
"We are still in very early stages of development," said Captain Scott Rohde, director of the university police and a member of the ramp planning committee. "There are lots of questions left for us to answer before we can bring any information to a campus forum." Discussions on how this will affect UW-L, who will be the primary users of the ramp, and if the ramp will be able to fit the future needs of the campus are a few of the topics that will be discussed in the meetings. But students should not worry about new fees in tuition, said Capt. Rohde.
"This ramp is completely user paid for," he said. "The students that won't be using the ramp will not have to pay anything." The ramp is intended for students and faculty that plan on parking on campus for extended periods of time. The ramp will catch the overflow of cars that may be brought with the increase in the student population after the new dormitory is built.
Another concern for the committee is the possible increase in traffic along East Ave. if the ramp is built on the gravel lots. "If the ramp becomes a traffic hub, we have to consider where we are going to direct the extra flow," said Capt. Rohde.
"If these changes happen, we need to know how we are going to mitigate traffic," he said. "Right now, East Ave. gets the most traffic flow on campus."
After an area is chosen, the next step is to draw up plans and get an estimate on costs.
"Once we have this information we will definitely be having campus open forums for the students and faculty," said Capt. Rohde. "We really want to hear what the campus thinks about the plans since this is a campus project."
He added, "We are expecting to have more solid information in the next two months. Until then, there is still plenty of work to be done."