San Martin Drive—the scenic, winding, and heavily traveled road that runs adjacent to and through much of the Homewood campus—is about to get a $15 million upgrade.
The much-anticipated project, which is scheduled to begin this Friday, Feb. 12, is designed to improve safety for the many pedestrians, runners, drivers, and bicyclists who use San Martin; make an already attractive thoroughfare even more pleasing aesthetically; and create new campus landmarks and gateways at two important intersections—San Martin and University Parkway, and Wyman Park Drive and Remington Avenue.
Before its completion, however, there will be closures and detours that temporarily affect how the Johns Hopkins community and its neighbors will get around the area.
The bulk of the construction is slated to be completed in December, with additional work, such as landscaping, ending by May 2017.
To avoid closing the entire length of San Martin, nearly a mile, at any one time, the project will unfold in three phases. Detours will be in place and marked by signs during each of the three phases.
In Phase One, from this Friday until September, the segment of San Martin Drive marked in blue on the map will be closed to vehicles and, except at designated crossings, to pedestrians. This segment runs from the South Garage entrance on Wyman Park Drive to the West Gate, also known as the lacrosse gate (near the Johns Hopkins Club and the biology complex).
The intersection of San Martin Drive and Wyman Park Drive also will be closed to vehicles and pedestrians. The West Gate will be closed to vehicles entering or leaving campus. But areas of San Martin Drive north of the West Gate—such as the turn into the parking lots behind Homewood Field—will be open.
In an announcement sent today to members of the Homewood campus community, Daniel Ennis, senior vice president for finance and administration, and Bob McLean, vice president for facilities and real estate, outlined Phase One specifics as follows:
- You will be able to reach the Homewood Early Learning Center and its drop-off/pickup area. Approach campus on Wyman Park Drive from Remington Avenue. (See the yellow segment on the phasing map.)
- You will be able to reach the San Martin Garage but only through the lower entrance on Carnegie Way. Approach campus on Wyman Park Drive from Remington Avenue. (See the yellow segment on the phasing map). Just past the Homewood Early Learning Center, turn left and follow Carnegie Way to the San Martin Garage. (All levels of the garage will be accessible from the lower entrance, but the upper entrance will be closed.)
- You will be able to reach the South Garage entrance below Mason Hall. The garage will be open as usual for permit parking and visitor parking. Approach on Wyman Park Drive from Art Museum Drive.
- You will be able to reach Bowman Drive but only from the south end. Bowman is the on-campus road that begins near the South Garage, winds behind Clark and Hodson halls, and continues north on campus. Approach on Wyman Park Drive from Art Museum Drive, turn onto campus at the South Garage entrance, and turn left onto Bowman Drive. Remember: Bowman Drive will dead-end at the West Gate. Drivers will not be able to exit there; you will need to reverse course and exit by the South Garage.
- Faculty hangtag holders, West Gate Garage users, Johns Hopkins Club patrons, and service permit vehicles making deliveries may use Bowman Drive but will need to enter and exit campus as detailed in the bullet point above. Detour signs will be posted.
- Pedestrians may cross San Martin Drive at all times but only over the San Martin Center pedestrian bridge and at two designated crossings. One crossing is at Olin Hall and the other is between the Bloomberg Center and Muller Building (i.e., the Space Telescope Science Institute).
- Other than at these crossings, pedestrians should avoid the construction zone. Note: The Wyman Park Drive pedestrian crossing near the South Garage entrance will remain in use.
Ennis and McLean said that the Office of Facilities and Real Estate has kept key department representatives and divisional facilities offices informed as plans have progressed and that they have worked together to anticipate special needs. Questions about unique situations (such as deliveries, large vehicles, or special events), they said, should be directed to your department administrators or school facilities leadership. If additional assistance is needed, the director of transportation services, Greg Smith (gregsmith@jhu.edu), or the associate director of planning, design, and construction, Nick Farrell (nfarrell@jhu.edu), should be contacted.
As the project progresses, updated information will be disseminated through broadcast messages, the Hub, the Homewood campus's daily Today's Announcements, and direct contacts with the schools and departments. In addition, the San Martin Drive project website will have updates.
