The Red & Black

Athens has become a favorite for those dirty, old and beat-up construction signs and crooked orange cones that keep the traffic moving at a snail’s pace.
Athens-Clarke County and the University are both working on construction projects — with some scheduled to be completed in August.
The city is in the process of improving the downtown infrastructure — which involves tearing up the roads to replace the water and gas lines.
The University’s new North Campus Parking Deck recently freed up 1,200 parking spaces. As a result, the University is turning one North Campus parking lot into a quadrangle — furthering the University physical master plan’s aim to make the campus more "pedestrian friendly."
The parking lot, Herty Field —between Moore College and the Law Library — will soon become an open lawn area.
Both the Herty Field project and the infrastructure improvements are scheduled to be completed before fall semester begins.
The University is spending more than $800,000 for improvements to Jackson Street.
The current phase of construction on Jackson Street involves rerouting utility lines, consolidating the bus stops and improving handicap accessibility. Officials want to make the street look like less of a "back road" and more like Milledge Avenue, said Danny Sniff, director of University Architects.
"This is all part of the master plan, to improve the overall character of campus," Sniff said.