Feb. 26, 2001
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Traffic patterns around Ross-Ade Stadium will be altered in the coming weeks as work begins on the relocation of Beering Drive west of the stadium.
The relocation is the first step in a $60 million renovation that will transform the stadium inside and out.
An integral step in the construction project, which is scheduled to conclude in 2003, is to reroute the two roads that flank the stadium on the east and west. Beering Drive on the west and North University Drive on the east will be bowed to create space for an expanded concourse, which will extend as much as 50 feet beyond the current stadium.
Besides a spacious new concourse and vastly expanded concession and restroom facilities, concrete throughout the seating area will be repaired or replaced and new seating installed. Aisles as well as seats will be widened, and handrails will be installed in the aisles. A four-story pavilion will be erected on the west side of the stadium to replace the aging press box. Within the pavilion will be suites and premium seats and an indoor club for fans who purchase licenses for indoor and outdoor club seats.
Moving the roads will take place in two stages. Beering Drive will close in mid-March, forcing a detour of traffic at the intersections of Beering Drive with Cherry Lane and Tower Drive. That stage is expected to be completed by early August. For the 2001 football season, temporary asphalt walkways will provide access from the relocated Beering Drive to the west side of the stadium. Relocation of North University Drive will begin at the conclusion of the 2001 football season.
Signs will be posted in the area of the Beering Drive project March 16 to warn motorists of the closing, scheduled for 7 a.m. March 19.
Several parking lots located along the west side of the stadium will be eliminated by the Beering Drive relocation. A CityBus shelter located northwest of the stadium will be relocated farther north on Beering Drive, an area accessible only to buses and construction traffic, and pedestrians.
At the conclusion of the project, the relocated Beering and North University drives will be one-lane roads. Beering will be one way southbound, North University one way northbound.