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Summer
Campus Construction Projects Start May 19
Summer means road work and parking facility repairs. We wanted
to let the U community know about some upcoming projects that
may impact travel to or around campus.
University Avenue
Westbound University Avenue, between 23rd Avenue SE and Oak
Street, will close beginning Monday, May
19 for work necessary to the infrastructure of the
East Gateway District. The road is scheduled to be closed
approximately two weeks.
Westbound vehicular traffic will be diverted around the stadium
site - north on 23rd Avenue SE, west on 6th Street SE, south
on Oak Street to 4th Street SE where traffic can continue
to travel in a westbound direction.
Pedestrian and bike access will remain open through that
stretch of roadway.
For stadium construction updates, visit the stadium web site
at http://www1.umn.edu/stadium/construction.php.
23rd Avenue SE
Electrical and duct work for the East Gateway District will
impact the section of 23rd Avenue SE between the Transitway
and Thompson Center for Environmental Management. The work
is scheduled to begin Tuesday, May 27 but
it will not begin until the University Avenue project is completed.
It will continue for approximately 30 days.
The street will remain open but will be cut back to one lane
in each direction throughout the duration of the project.
Pedestrian and bike access will remain open.
This project may cause the Campus Connector bus stop along
that stretch to temporarily relocate slightly north. Signs
will be posted.
Lot 33 (East Bank)
On Monday, May 19, operations for
Lot 33 and Lot 37 will be combined for the summer. The entrance
of Lot 33 on 5th Street SE will be closed and patrons will
need to enter the lots through the Lot 37 entrance. The crossover
between the two lots will remain open to allow vehicles to
park closer to the research buildings east of Lot 33.
Carpoolers may enter from 6-9 am and pay a flat fee of $2.50
with 2 or more people in the car or with a carpool permit.
Daily parkers may enter at any time after 6 am and pay the
daily rate of $3.75. Parking fees will be collected as patrons
enter the lot.
Oak Street Ramp (East Bank)
Beginning Monday, May 19 and lasting
through August 17, Oak Street Ramp will undergo structural
concrete repair work. The restoration is part of our regular
upkeep and maintenance of the facility.
Up to 200 spaces at a time will be cordoned off to perform
the work. Signs will be posted to notify drivers which areas
will be temporarily closed.
Public parking will be greatly reduced so we suggest that
you park in Lot C79. Lot C79 will become a daily rate ($3.75)
lot for the summer. The entrance is on Essex Street SE.
Later this summer, additional projects for the new stadium
will impact travel around the East Gateway District. We will
post updates here, so visit us periodically for the latest
information.
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Campus Shuttle Service
Changes For Spring Finals Week
Finally… spring has sprung. The semester is wrapping up and
finals week is Monday, May 12 through Saturday, May 17.
Campus shuttle service on weekdays and Sunday will not change,
but Saturday's service will be more frequent than usual.
On Saturday, May 17, campus connectors will run every 15
minutes, instead of every 30 minutes, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
From 10 p.m. until midnight, the connector will run every
30 minutes between the Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses.
The East Bank and St. Paul circulators, as well as the Washington
Avenue Bridge circulator, will NOT run on Saturday of finals
week. For the weekdays, Campus Circulators will run on their
regular schedule, every 15 minutes from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The
last bus leaves the Jones/Eddy stop at 4:45 p.m. The last
bus departs the St. Paul Student Center at 4:45 p.m.
Good luck on finals from Parking and Transportation Services!
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INTRODUCING EFS!
Where 7 equals 15… or more.
What is it? The University is switching
from CUFS to a new financial system called EFS (Enterprise
Financial System).
When does it happen? July 1, 2008
Who is affected? Everyone who orders
goods or services from another University department.
Give Me the Details:
- The old Area-Org (7 digits - i.e. xxx-xxxx) will convert
to Fund-DeptID-Account (15 digits - i.e. xxxx-xxxxx-xxxxxx).
For programs, specific grant funds or project pools, the
number could be up to 29 numbers long.
- Before you order goods or services, know
your new numbers. You can convert CUFS numbers to
the new EFS number online,
but it may not be the number your accountant wants you to
use.
- Consult with your department finance
person. Save yourself and your colleagues from headaches
by getting your numbers directly from them.
- Anything you do now with a CUFS number,
you'll be able to do with an EFS number. Make parking
reservations, request VIP stamps, finance departmental parking
contracts, print flyers and brochures, order office supplies
or cater with UDS box lunches.
Follow 3 easy steps to keep the
U running smoothly and efficiently.
- Plan ahead for the change-over date.
- Talk to your department finance person.
- Know your new numbers.
For detailed information on EFS, visit www.finsys.umn.edu.
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Watch Where You Park: Street
Sweepers Coming to a Block Near You!
With the winter snow piles retreating, it’s time for the city
to clean up all the dirt and grime the melting snow and ice
left behind on Minneapolis streets. Crews are set to begin
the comprehensive spring street sweep in mid-April.
Over the course of five weeks, Minneapolis Public Works will
send sweepers down all 1,100 miles of city streets. Weather
permitting, the spring street sweeping will begin on Tuesday,
April 15.
To make sure the sweepers can do the best job possible, temporary
“No Parking” signs will be posted at least 24 hours in advance
to make sure streets are clear of parked vehicles. Residents
need to follow street sweep parking rules or they may have
their cars ticketed and towed.
“No Parking” signs – As the sweep gets underway, City
crews will post “No Parking” signs at least 24 hours before
sweeping any streets. Parking will be banned from 7 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. on the day a street is swept. The “No Parking” signs
will be removed as soon as possible after a street has been
completely swept to allow people to resume parking. Vehicles
not in compliance with “No Parking” signs will be ticketed
and towed to the Minneapolis Impound Lot.
Phone calls to residents – In addition to the “No Parking”
signs that will be posted the day before sweepers come through,
the city will make about 3,500 automated phone calls each
evening to let residents know their street will be swept the
next day.
Interactive Web tool – Starting a few days before the
sweep begins, individuals will be able to use a tool on the
city’s Web site to find out when the sweepers are coming through
their neighborhoods. By going to www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/streetsweep,
residents can find out which week their street is scheduled
to be swept. The weekend before that week, they can revisit
the site to find out which of the five days of the work week
that the sweeping will occur.
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Scooters Popularity Up On Campus
With warmer weather on its way, the U of M sees more scooters,
mopeds, and bikes on campus. These popular modes of transportation
are great for students, staff and faculty, but be sure to
know the campus rules.
Scooters are allowed on campus, but are prohibited from operating
on any sidewalks. If a scooter has a small enough engine,
it may be parked at a bike rack. Visit our Wheeling
page for more details.
Find more bike information in our Biking
section.
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'M' Bridge
Closes For Inspection
As of Thursday, February 28, PTS has closed the pedestrian
bridge that spans the Dinkytown railroad trench between Wilkins
Hall and the Music Education Building for inspections.
The assessment will take about a month. If repairs are needed,
the bridge will remain closed until they are completed.
Please use alternate routes. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Thank you.
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U-Pass Celebrates
1/4 Millionth Sale -
PTS Prize Team Hits Yudof Hall
A quarter-of-a-million U-Passes have been sold at the University
of Minnesota since the discounted unlimited-ride buspass program
began in 2000.
Cassie Klebig was the individual who purchased the quarter
millionth pass during the first week of spring semester.
On Wednesday, February 20, the PTS Prize Team surprised this
lucky, unsuspecting student, with balloons and prizes, including
a gift certificate that reimburses her for the record-breaking
U-Pass this semester and gives her a free fall 2008 U-Pass,
courtesy of Metro Transit.
Congratulations, Cassie!
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Cassie Klebig, U of M sophomore and
Yudof Hall resident, ordered
the quarter millionth U-Pass at the end of January 2008.
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Columbia Heights
Commuters - Check Out NEW Route 118 Offering Direct Service
to the University
Beginning January 22, this new bus route offers five trips
in the morning and six in the afternoon.
The route begins at the Columbia Heights Transit Center and
stops at four locations on campus, including Coffman and Willey
Hall.
Visit Metro
Transit's schedule online to find out more information.
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| University
of Minnesota Recognized With Commuter Choice Award For
Using Creative Commuting Solutions After 35W Bridge Collapse |
Local celebrity KSTP Traffic and Entertainment
Reporter Rusty Gatenby presents the 2007 Commuter Choice
award to Jacqueline Brudlos, PTS marketing coordinator.
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The University of Minnesota recently announced that it has
been recognized with a 2007 Commuter Choice Award in the category
of Outstanding Promotion for a Large Organization.
The award recognizes the creative commuting solutions that
the University of Minnesota implemented using both operational
and marketing tactics after the recent collapse of the I-35W
bridge.
The five major initiatives were to ease traffic flow; lower
the cost of Metropass, the unlimited-ride employee buspass;
add bike racks; develop a new Park and Ride location at the
corner of Como and 29th Avenues; and communicate the message
to the public.
Commuter Choice Awards recognize organizations and individuals
from across the seven-county metropolitan region for their
creative solutions in promoting alternatives to driving alone
to work, such as transit, bicycle commuting, carpooling, vanpooling
and telecommuting.
The Commuter Choice Awards program is presented by Metro
Transit and the region's five transportation management organizations
(TMOs) - 494 Commuter Services, Anoka County TMO, Midway TMO,
Downtown Minneapolis TMO and St. Paul TMO. Winners were recognized
at an awards luncheon on Wednesday, November 14 in Minneapolis.
The University of Minnesota, through Parking and Transportation
Services, offers a wide array of parking options for the Twin
Cities campus including hourly, daily, event, carpool, motorcycle
and discounted programs. The department has developed a number
of services to encourage the use of alternate transportation
modes, like U-Pass, Helmets and Headlights and Zipcar.
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35W Bridge Rebuild
Begins
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has begun rebuilding
the 35W bridge over the Mississippi River.
For the latest information on the project, visit MnDot
online.
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Occasional
Use Parking Program Extended
University of Minnesota Parking and Transportation Services
(PTS) has extended the Occasional Use Parking Program (formerly
named Limited Use) for the 2008 academic year. The program
is available to University staff and faculty.
Occasional Use Contracts are designed for commuters who typically
bus, bike or walk to the University but sometimes need to
drive to campus.
An Occasional Use Contract allows for 22 parking uses in
one of the following locations: 4th Street Ramp, East River
Road Garage, Gortner Avenue Ramp and West Bank Office Building
Ramp.
Contract details:
- Must be used between October 1, 2007 and September 30,
2008.
- Only one contract may be purchased per employee during
the program year (October 1 -September 30).
- A use is defined as within one day (12 am - 11:59 pm).
Holders may enter/exit multiple times during the same day.
- Unused parking may not be carried over to the next year.
Refunds are not issued for unused parking.
- Reciprocity at other facilities is not available.
- Contracts are not renewable (this includes current contracts).
Occasional Use Contracts go on sale October 1 at the PTS
office, 300 Transportation and Safety Building, 511 Washington
Avenue. Purchases may be made with credit card, cash or check.
The cost is $93.50 for ramps and $122 for East River Road
Garage.
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