Two major upcoming construction projects are planned. Details of each project and potential impacts to traffic and parking are below.
Stay abreast of road closings and campus construction with Facilities’ online construction map.
Williamson Road Realignment
Starting Friday, December 23, 2022, fences will start going up to demark an area of future construction along the southern end of Williamson Road.
Construction is scheduled to continue through to August 2023 at which point Williamson Road, which currently intersects with Perimeter Road just west of the Administrative Services Building (HR), will be redirected eastward to intersect with Perimeter Road directly across from Old Stadium Road. This is the most straightforward plan to roadway alignment, and the intersection will have traffic lights and a cross walk to improve vehicular and pedestrian safety.
This redirect will provide a main controlled pedestrian crossing of Perimeter Road, increased traffic efficiency and quicker access from Main campus to the Madren Center and the future Alumni Center. The project will also provide a direct pathway from the Ground Facilities Complex to central campus while minimizing the cost associated with intersection and roadway improvements.
Parking Impacts of Project
- 243 Commuter spaces will be lost in Lot C-05.
- 85 Commuter spaces will be lost in Lot C-08 along Lambda Street.
- 51 Employee spaces will be lost in Lot E-03.
Until construction concludes in August 2023, parking lot users are asked to follow these parking protocols:
- Commuter students are encouraged to Choose Transit options and if driving to campus are directed to use the remaining assigned commuter parking lots and available optional commuter parking in the East Park-N-Ride P-5, P-7 and P-8 parking lots. Park-N-Ride runs on 9-minute intervals during peak hours. For more information, visit Parking and Transportation Services’ Park-N-Ride site.
- Additional commuter parking will be available at the “tire stops” located on the grass outside the soccer practice field. The Orange Route can be easily accessed from the bus stops located at Littlejohn Coliseum.
- Additional parking options are also being explored.
- Parking and Transportation Services will also offer FREE parking for all approved carpool permit groups for the Spring semester.
- Employees should utilize extra parking routinely available in the E-03 lot.
Advanced Materials and Innovation Complex (AMIC)
Following the end of the Spring 2023 semester, construction will begin on the Advanced Materials Innovation Complex (AMIC). With an anticipated completion date of winter 2025, the 143,000-square-foot AMIC will be the home of Materials Science and Engineering with Researchers and educators from the departments of Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering working collaboratively in the new space.
Facts
- Explore the plan and access renderings.
- AMIC will cost $130M to build.
- AMIC will be the marquee facility on campus. Through basic and applied research in advanced materials, this new complex will help solidify the future competitiveness of South Carolina’s advanced manufacturing, energy and health sectors.
- 100% of the students accessing the AMIC will be conducting research. Students will also take part in the Grand Challenges Scholars Program, an educational and extracurricular initiative designed to prepare the next generation of engineers and scientists to address this century’s most pressing challenges and opportunities, through the fulfillment of five main emphasis areas:
- Cross-disciplinary Curriculum,
- Entrepreneurship,
- Global Engagement,
- Research/Creative Inquiry, and
- Social Consciousness.
- The project aims to address the lack of research space capable of supporting modern research initiatives.
- Learning spaces will include cutting-edge research labs, innovative teaching labs, synergistic classrooms and shared collaborative spaces.
- AMIC will support research and learning in advanced materials to help create the next-generation workforce of engineers and scientists.