Changes to 114th Bring Beauty, Safety

Ink has touched paper, lines have been sketched, and measurements have been taken for the preliminary drawing of the proposed changes to 114th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam. After more than two years of planning, the Columbia University Standing Committee on 114th Street has finalized the drawing of a brand-new street, hoping that it will become one of the most attractive in Morningside Heights.

The project, which may commence as early as late spring, hopes to solve many problems that residents and pedestrians of 114th St. face, from safety to traffic congestion, as well as to improve the aesthetic appeal and landscaping of the now exceptionally dark neighborhood.

The drawing was commissioned by the Committee, a group comprised of University administrators and representatives from the InterGreek Council (IGC) and student councils, in conjunction with Urbitran, the Committee's traffic engineering consultants. Last Tuesday, Rich Welch, assistant director of the Office of Administrative Planning, met with IGC president Scott Koonin, CC '02, to finalize the University's plans.

Urbitran and the Administration plan to meet with residents of 114th and students on March 26th to discuss the changes.

"The goal of the project is to announce that pedestrians come first," Koonin said, adding that changes will make the street prettier and "more residential."

According to Welch, the exact plans are still subject to change, but they will likely include planting trees, clearing cross walks, repaving the street, and lowering light fixtures to provide brighter lighting and give the street a safer feel.

The plan also addresses the problem of 114th's detachment from the rest of the campus. According to the current drawing, the brick-paved college walk will be extended perpendicularly to run alongside Carman and John Jay residence halls and connect to 114th St.

The trees which will run along 114th St. will get gradually taller, peaking at the first-year residence hall gates to emphasize 114th Street's connection to the campus.

Still, Koonin added that it is important for the street to remain "distinct and separate" from the University to emphasize the independence of the fraternities and sororities on 114th St. He said the changes will allow the street to "continue to be its own row."

The brownstone fraternity houses on 114th will play a role in the changes to the street.

Koonin said that the University-owned fraternity houses along 114th St. have aesthetic potential but added that many of them to have fallen into disrepair, preventing the street from assuming its greatest possible charm.

"They are all beautiful fraternity houses, and some of them are the nicest buildings in the Morningside Heights area," Koonin said. "Everyone should have pride in their house. You don't want your house to be the ugly house that stands out."

As part of the 114th St. plan, the committee will encourage the fraternities and sororities to clean their exteriors. The University also plans to provide an ironwork fence and a plaque for the entrance of each fraternity and sorority house on the row.

Koonin said the repairs will be guided toward allowing all of the fraternity houses along 114th "to maintain their own identities, while encouraging everyone to take pride in their own houses."

As part of the University's recent commitment to restore its buildings throughout Morningside Heights, Welch said construction on 114th has been put off for other construction projects, including Broadway Dorm and Butler renovations, which may have affected the aesthetic changes to the nearby street.

According to Welch, the time frame for breaking ground on the project still remains in question as it depends on the successful completion of the Butler Library renovations. But Welch added that construction on 114th St. could begin as early as late spring.

Koonin said the two major limitations on the 114th St. project are the necessity to maintain the flow of traffic to St. Luke's and preserve parking space, which he said is extremely limited.

Urbitran has suggested that the University expand the sidewalk on the south side of the street, which students have complained is too narrow. The sidewalk on the south side is eight feet wide, compared to 13 feet on the north side. However, the University is bound by a restriction requiring all through-traffic streets to be at least four car lengths wide, according to Koonin.

In addition, distinct crosswalks will be added in front of John Jay and Carman. The crosswalks will be flush with the sidewalks to act like speed bumps for traffic. At the Broadway and the Amsterdam intersections, the sidewalk will bulge outward into the street, constricting the flow of traffic and encouraging cars to slow down while turning.