LOT 5-5A CLOSURES

Transportation and Parking Services announced the following closures:

• Lot 5 (closest to Solano Park)— Through Friday, Aug. 24. During this closure, C and Visitor Parking permits are acceptable in Lot 5A across the street,
• Lot 5A — Monday, Aug. 27, through Saturday, Sept. 22.
• Access road (leading in to Lots 5 and 5A) — Tuesday, Sept. 11, through Wednesday, Sept. 19. Temporary access will be provided to Lot 5.

ARBORETUM DRIVE

With construction of the last section of the "new" Old Davis Road, the campus will abandon yet another piece of "old" Old Davis Road.

The campus previously abandoned the section between La Rue Road (formerly California Avenue) and Mrak Hall Drive, on the north side of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts — and changed the road's name to Arboretum Drive.

That name will continue across the street to the new bike and pedestrian path between Mrak Hall Drive and A Street.

Construction began this week on the final piece of the “new” Old Davis Road, extending it all the way from the UC Davis campus to A Street. And, when that’s done, by mid-November, the “old” Old Davis Road alongside the arboretum will be converted into a pedestrian and bike path.

“We are providing safer corridors for everyone,” said Assistant Vice Chancellor Bob Segar, in charge of Campus Planning and Community Resources. Beyond safety, the “new” Old Davis Road will provide a more direct route between the east side of campus (next to downtown) and the burgeoning south campus.

But, wait, there’s more: arboretum improvements, including a more gracious entrance, to go with the new path.

Today, bicyclists and pedestrians vie for space with cars on the narrow Old Davis Road next to the arboretum. The road has no bike lanes and the only piece of sidewalk runs about a third of the length, on one side only, in front of Environmental Horticulture and Nelson Hall (formerly the University Club).

The tight fit forces drivers to cross the double-yellow line to move around people who are riding bikes or walking on the side of the road.

While the road should be open by mid-November, the entire project — including the conversion of the “old” Old Davis Road to a bike and pedestrian path, and improvements in this part of the arboretum — is not due for completion until the end of the year.

Auto traffic will move to the “new” Old Davis Road — designed for bicyclists and pedestrians, too, in bike lanes on both sides of the road and on a sidewalk all along the north side, between Vanderhoef Quad and A Street.

Hotel access

The campus started the Old Davis Road extension three years ago, building as far as the new Hyatt Place hotel (which also has a construction project in the works: a 52-room add-on, for a total of 127 rooms).

Now comes the final 1,600 feet of the “new” Old Davis Road, across Solano Field, through parking Lots 5 and 5A, to A Street where it crosses the arboretum waterway.

Starting from the hotel, the first 1,000 feet of the extension will be brand new. The last 600 feet will follow the path of the existing access road between the parking lots; the access road will be reconstructed to street standards — with the old asphalt to be ground up and used as the base for the “new” Old Davis Road.

The first part of the "new" Old Davis Road features a landscaped median, and this will continue most of the way to A Street. The new road also will have trees on both sides, just like the first section.

The "new" Old Davis Road design includes, at the pavement edges, grass-lined swales for natural treatment of stormwater before it drains into the arboretum waterway.

A turnaround and easier directions

Drivers will see two buildings from a new vantage point: Wyatt Pavilion (a venue for theater and other events) and Nelson Hall (home of the Nelson Gallery).

Both buildings are situated along “old” Old Davis Road, but, for autos, the best access is from Lot 5A behind the buildings. So, the project includes a turnaround in the lot — a place where drivers can drop people off a short distance from the pavilion and the Nelson.

The new road also should be of help in giving directions. Say you have a friend headed for the Nelson Gallery: You tell him or her to exit at old Davis Road, proceed to Mrak Hall Drive, turn left and turn right, go past the Nelson, then turn right onto the access road that leads into Lot 5A.

The new, simpler directions: Follow the new, gently curved Old Davis Road past the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, the Conference Center and the Hyatt Place hotel, and turn left into Lot 5A. Done!

One more stop sign

We won’t know if it’s faster until it’s done, but take note: The old route has two stop signs and the new route has three, including a four-way stop at the entrances to Lots 5 and 5A.

The contractor went to work Aug. 22 in and around the two parking lots to get a jump on this part of the project — the road, the turnaround and other parking lot improvements — ­before the new academic year.

The project also includes a new arboretum entry plaza at Mrak Hall Drive, a new stairway at the A Street bridge and an accessible path into the arboretum at Mrak Hall Drive.

Total project cost is $2.966 million, to be paid with a combination of parking, Americans with Disabilities Act and deferred maintenance funds, and external financing repaid with campus funds.

The construction contract went to Western Engineering Contractors Inc. of Loomis (Placer County), for $1.75 million — the lowest of six bids. This is the same company at work now on putting down artificial turf on the Dairy Road Intramural Field.

Other construction projects

"Campus Rec puts in first artificial turf," Dateline UC Davis (Aug. 17, 2012)

“$3.7M Hutchison Drive makeover,” Dateline UC Davis (July 27, 2012)