The rise of construction on campus has slowed down the University Police Department’s response time to crimes, and officers have experienced noticeable delays due to restricted paths, said Deputy Chief Skip Frost.

Over the summer, two major campus street projects continued along Fourth Street, from Kirby to Armory, and Sixth Street, from Gregory to Armory. Green Street construction took place between Sixth and Green and on Fourth and Green.

Frost said he believes these developments have led to numerous safety concerns.

“You have to be in-tune and involved with what’s going on around you,” he said. “Everyone is plugged in, but they’re tuned out.”

University Police Capt. Roy Acree said construction becomes an issue for police because navigating campus becomes difficult and they encounter delays.

“It was very difficult to go any more than a few blocks before an officer would have to get off the beat path, they’d have to take a detour to get off the construction sights,” he said.

However, Frost said, the construction has not affected the level of coverage around campus.

Steven Breitwieser, media communications specialist at Facilities and Services, said summer construction consisted of four major projects: the Stadium Drive project, the Gregory Drive project, the Sixth Street project and the Fourth Street project. All projects are scheduled for completion before the beginning of the fall semester.

“You look at these projects as a whole — I mean the reason they were targeted over the summer was with the idea to minimize the potential inconveniences,” Breitwieser said. “Construction crews were working longer hours with the intention to get the work done prior to move in day.”

Breitwieser said Facilities and Services is making a tentative plan to continue construction work after move-in day.

“There’s always going to be a certain amount of construction work occurring on campus throughout the course of the year,” he said.

Acree stated that officers receive periodic emails regarding construction and street closures. This allows the police to adjust their routes accordingly. In the case of an emergency, officers should be prepared to respond, he said.

Frost said he worries about response rates, but vehicles are not the only mode of transportation for the officers.

“We have various modes of travel, but at the same time it’s a long way from one end of the campus to another,” he said. “So that construction — it does affect how we respond.”

Jessica can be reached at [email protected].