The trek around the Illini Union should be getting easier for students tomorrow. Project 1 of the Multimodal Corridor Enhancement is set to be completed on Friday, said Steven Breitwieser, customer relations and communications contact for MCORE.

“Crews are aiming to re-open Green Street between Wright Street and Mathews Avenue as part of MCORE Project 1,” Breitwieser said.

Stacey Delorenzo, F&S Transportation Demand Management coordinator, said that the construction project in front of Illini Union would enhance people’s mobility choices.

“Whether it’s walking, biking, taking the bus, improving the way people can have access to those means of transportation,” Delorenzo said. “A lot of it, in front of the Union especially, has to do with the safety of the students that use the bus system in front of the Union.”

There will be clearer distinctions regarding where pedestrians should walk, where bicyclists should ride and where the buses stop.

Project 1 was originally scheduled to be completed by student move-in day, but after an impasse with the state budget, MCORE had to halt construction. Once the budget was passed in early July, MCORE faced a 10-day delay in construction.

MCORE can continue its work now that the University and MTD know that the federal government will reimburse them for the construction funding.

“We’re not in jeopardy at all of not having those funds,” Delorenzo said.

Other MCORE projects are occurring across campus, but Delorenzo noted that the summer project in front of the Illini Union was the only one affected by the budget impasse. The overall MCORE timeline was not impacted.

Regardless of the delay, Delorenzo said this project was always on a tight schedule.

“So we had planned on being available to work later hours, extended hours during the day and on weekends,” Delorenzo said. “We were able to pull the schedule in by about five days.”

Students had to avoid Green Street in front of Illini Union on their move-in route, something that MCORE initially tried to prevent.

“We worked very diligently to make sure there was information on the website, and that was given out to all those students that are coming and moving in, (to) avoid Green Street,” Delorenzo said.

Ashley Garcia, junior in Education, lives on First Street and knows living around the MCORE construction is hard.

“I have to reroute everything, so that’s kind of annoying,” Garcia said.

The MCORE presence outside the Illini Union won’t completely disappear after Friday.

“Once we do open the streets, the sidewalks and bike paths, pretty much the hardscape, we will be doing some landscaping,” Delorenzo said. “And some sight work, as much as we can in the fall, for fall types of plantings. And we’ll need to continue on in the spring for those plantings that need spring weather to have that happen.”

Shelby Banach, senior in Social Work, said it’s unfortunate that she won’t see the benefits of the construction since she will have graduated before its completion.

“(MCORE is) doing a lot of stuff here (on) Green St. … and as long as it’s positive changes and it doesn’t impact student lives too much, I can’t really complain,” Banach said. “I know it’s a long process and it’ll be worth it in the end.”

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