The Free Expression Tunnel, which connects Central and North Campuses, is scheduled to reopen on April 7 of this year.
The construction project, aimed at making the Tunnel wheelchair accessible, began when the Tunnel closed last summer.
According to John Palmiter, project manager for the Free Expression Tunnel construction project, little has changed since last semester, and the project is on schedule.
“The weather has been a little bit of a delay lately,” said Palmiter. “It has been a bit muddy outside, but there’s not any major crisis.”
The project began with a March 2006 completion date, though some minor setbacks have pushed that date back into April.
“We had to relocate a retaining wall on the residential side of the Tunnel when we hit a steam tunnel underground,” Palmiter said, recalling one such setback last semester. “We knew it was there, but we didn’t know exactly where it was.”
The project comes as a major inconvenience to Central Campus students, and many are looking forward to its reopening.
“It would be a big help for me,” Billy Carrington, a freshman in life sciences, said.
Carrington, a resident of Turlington Hall with many classes on North Campus, is one of many students looking forward to the return of the two-minute walk to Harrelson Hall.
“I guess it’s weird they haven’t finished yet,” Carrington said. “It seems like they are taking a while. It would be nice to save the time.”
More than a convenient footpath, the Free Expression Tunnel is one of N.C. State’s most recognized landmarks. Since the 1960s, it has been the site of sanctioned graffiti and has enjoyed a prominent role in campus events in past years.
“I miss having the freedom to go spray paint in the Tunnel, and I miss not being able to pass through and see all the new work in there,” Steven Varela, a sophomore in electrical engineering, said.
The Tunnel was commonly used as a way for campus organizations to announce events, and for students to paint messages or display their skills.
“I love to spray paint and it takes a lot of stress off; I was going to go crazy during exam week,” Varela said. “It’s just not the same without it.”
During the interim when the Tunnel is closed, students can use the plywood wall for painting and announcements, but some are not satisfied with this temporary measure.
“Seeing the art [in the Tunnel] is always fun for me because I’m challenged to create a piece of art in the Tunnel bigger and grander than the tags and images before it,” Varela said. “And there was a lot more space for people to write up their ‘happy birthday’ messages and stuff without tagging over new stuff.”
The Free Expression Tunnel will reopen to students and painters this April sporting large ramps and new brick faces on both entrances.
