A new boulevard to link Campus Central with the Sports Centre will be completed this year.
The accessible pathway to be titled Campus Boulevard will provide a direct route for pedestrians and cyclists.
The tree-lined route will include street furniture, light columns and block paving similar to the style of Queen’s Court. A new viewing area which overlooks Airthrey Loch will also be created.
The loch shoreline will not be altered and the existing path will be diverted onto the new Campus Boulevard route. All the mature trees will be retained, and design measures put in place to protect the roots.
An artist's impression of Campus Boulevard
The existing pedestrian crossings located directly across from the Sports Centre will be widened and upgraded as part of the project.
The pavement on the right of the road past the Sports Centre, as you go up the hill, and the zebra crossing linking that path to the Cottrell Building will be unaffected.
The zebra crossing between the one directly across from the sports centre and the one linked to the Cottrell Building will be removed, as will the pavement on the left-hand side of the road.
As well as improving the connectivity, and the visual aesthetics of the area, the new boulevard will offer many accessibility benefits including a reduction in the steepness of the current path. The new route will also be considerably wider to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists.
Work on this project is underway and will be completed in autumn. For a short period of the time, a section of the George Forrest Walk – the path that runs alongside Airthrey Loch at this location – will be closed to allow for construction work.
Pedestrian and cycle diversions will be in place and there will also be works to the main road outside the Sports Centre that may require the introduction of temporary traffic lights.