Kristin Marthaler

Driving by Animal Science and Biostress has become a little bit safer these past few weeks.

Over spring break, two new stop signs were installed at the intersection of North Campus Drive and Rotunda Lane, creating a three-way stop. Students now have to stop at all directions – to the east, south and west.

The signs were installed for safety, said Dean Kattlemann, director of the Physical Plant.

“These stop signs are here permanently,” he said. “They are first and foremost for safety reasons. Secondly, they also help the flow of traffic, especially those traveling from the south.”

Some students are having a hard time with the change.

“I hate them! It slows the traffic down way too much,” said Gary Engel, a sophomore agriculture and bio-system major.

Some students found the signs in the way and chose to take an illegal alternate route through the nearby parking lots.

“Some students were cutting through the parking lot, so we put some [police] cars there and that was quickly stopped,” said Tim Heaton, chief of police for the University Police Department.

Other students chose different routes all together. But after initial confusion, most have adjusted to the new signage.

“The first couple days the traffic was backed up. People weren’t really used to it yet,” Kattelmann said.

Kattelmann also said the road would undergo more construction later this year. By the time students come back to school there will be a new paved road on 16th Street, on the east side of campus. Blacktop will be put into place to allow students other exit points from North Campus Drive.

#1.885201:1784463452.jpg:threewaystopcolor.jpg:The three-way stop is near the Biostress building: