SWIFT MATURES AS ARTIST
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ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT Printing the news, sounding the alarm, and raising hell since 1899
MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 2012
DAILYWILDCAT.COM
VOLUME 106 • ISSUE 1
WELCOME TO THE MESS
Streetcar project hinders traffic flow
been timely,” said Christina Henneke, owner of Swindlers on University Boulevard. After three months of closing and There will still be lane restrictions tearing up roads around the UA, the and minor intermittent closures on Sun Link Tucson Modern StreetSecond Street and on University Boucar is progressing. As construction levard as the construction company continues, students are advised to works on adding pole foundations, plan for delays when commuting this poles and wire for the conductor semester. operating the streetcar. The streetcar Second Street between the Second stop on University Boulevard in front Street Parking Garage and Warren Av- of Main Gate Plaza still needs to be enue is set to open in the beginning built as well. of September. Second Street from “It’s a big project with a very tight Park Avenue to Mountain Avenue timeline,” said Bill Davidson, a marwas opened to traffic Aug. 11. keting and transportation specialist David Heineking, director of Park- for PTS. “I think, overall, they’re ing and Transportation Services, going to meet their … construction advises people to take a couple extra deadlines.” minutes to get where they’re wanting The Second Street Parking Garage to go. remained open throughout the Due to a high volume of traffic on summer and will continue to be campus, Cherry Avenue at Second open through construction. The road Street will be opened to traffic for the between Mountain Avenue and the first football game if Second Street is parking garage entrance on Second not open by Sept. 1. Street remains intact. Before Saturday, University BouleWhen Second Street opens east vard from Park Avenue to Euclid Avof the garage to Warren Avenue, the enue was closed during the summer. construction company will be able Construction workers spent the week to close the road between Mounof Aug. 10 to Aug. 17 putting down the tain Avenue and the parking garage tracks and paving the road, preparentrance on Second Street to get the ing to open it before the semester. necessary work done, which will Business owners along the street have take about six weeks, according to experienced fluctuations in patronage Heineking. Access to the Second throughout the construction. Street Parking Garage will be through “Most Tucsonans have been really Cherry Avenue. supportive and it hasn’t been that STREETCAR, 3 much of an issue, and everything has STEPHANIE CASANOVA Arizona Daily Wildcat
KYLE WASSON/ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT CONSTRUCTION FOR LEVEL, a 14-story housing complex on Tyndall Avenue, began over the summer. The complex, which will be complete by the fall 2013 semester, has drawn criticism from employees at surrounding restaurants. Inset: After three months of construction, University Boulevard opened to traffic last Friday. Inset photo by Hailey Eisenbach.
Critics fear impact of new student housing North End Zone stilll work in While he dislikes the view and Arizona Daily Wildcat noise during construction, Tuttle said he does believe the frozen A 14-story private student hous- yogurt shop will gain more busiing complex, which will house ness from the students who will more than 500 students on the be living a parking lot away. corner of Tyndall Avenue and Campus Acquisitions, which First Street next fall, has brought will have a leasing office on about more construction to cam- University Boulevard, conducted pus and the rearrangment of a interviews with hundreds of long-standing local business. UA students to help developers Despite some opposition from decide what amenities would be the surrounding neighborhood, a HOUSING, 3 zoning overlay approved by Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild and the City Council allowed the Chicago-based Campus Acquisitions to start building the housing complex, called Level, in May. Construction for the $25 million project is in full swing and should be completed by August 2013. Posner’s Art Store relocated this summer, after 40 years at the same location, as the landlord sold the property to Campus Acquisitions. Owner Emily Brown said she was initially uneasy about having to relocate, but that University Boulevard might be a better location for their store. “I think we will bring a lot of business to this area,” Brown said. “I think there’ll be a lot more foot traffic because our business is probably 96 percent students.” Zakari Tuttle, assistant manager at Josie’s Yogurt located next to the future housing complex, said he thinks the tower is unnecessary. “It’s another superstructure that we’re not going to use,” Tuttle said. “It’s going to end up sitting half empty.” STEPHANIE CASANOVA
progress as season nears KYLE JOHNSON Arizona Daily Wildcat
“Better late than never” might as well be the motto of Arizona’s North End-Zone expansion. The $72.3 million project, called the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility, still has a year left before its planned completion date of July
2013, but its continued progress represents a new era of football in Tucson. “It will change the look and feel of Arizona football for a very long time,” athletic director Greg Byrne said. The Wildcats are one of the only football programs in the country to not have its own facilities. Rather, the team shares them with the basketball team in McKale Center. “We are probably the only BCSlevel football program to have their football infrastructure … in the basketball arena,” he said. “Most schools moved out about 20 years ago, and we had not
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KEDI XIA/ ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT
ROBERT ALCARAZ/ ARIZONA DAILY WILDCAT THE NORTH END ZONE PROJECT, now called the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility, is currently under construction. When the season starts, the new seating will not be available for use.