Construction on new fields, pavilion continues on West Campus

Once completed, an underpass for Route 123 will connect the main Fairfax campus to West Lot with a continuous road and walking path (photo courtesy of Brad Glatfelter, George Mason University Facilities)

As another school year begins, students and staff can expect to see orange construction cones lighting up Ox Road and Campus Drive, as efforts to reconstruct West Campus are finally taking shape. 

The construction is a part of the West Campus Connecter project, a community and statewide effort to reduce university traffic at the intersection of Braddock Road and Route 123. 

As a result of the connector project, the university has made renovations to some of the recreational facilities on campus. The six tennis courts located near the RAC will now be moving to West Campus and gaining an additional two courts. According to Lee Ann Houston, Assistant Director of the RAC and Skyline, these courts will continue in their capacity for practices and competitions for men and women intercollegiate teams, club teams, and free play.

Other additions to West Campus will include a pavilion, which will have covered shelter with picnic tables, snack machines, and restrooms. It will also contain small storage area with intermural athletic equipment for students to use on the fields. A lighted promenade will be built in October with both bike and golf cart lanes will circle the athletic fields. 

Project Manager and former Mason student, Brad Glatfelter, said the underpass will also help open up West Campus to future developments, citing the possibility of a super field to be built in additional field space. 

According to Glatfelter, a project to connect the two sides of campus has been proposed since the 1980s; however, the plan was not considered until 2011. The university worked with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the City of Fairfax, and Fairfax County to put together a working plan for the connector project. The plan for the underpass was officially proposed and put into action in July 2012. The underpass was projected to open in December, but will now open closer to spring break. 

The project is being funded by a $15 million grant from VDOT. The university contributed about $2 million, with a total project budget of approximately $17 million. 

The entire project is expected to be complete by July 2014. Once finished, according to the university’s building website, traffic at the intersection of Braddock Road and Route 123 is expected to improve by as much as 30 percent. 

Houston believes that the underpass will positively impact recreational activities on campus. 

“We think the exposure of the recreational fields we have for students will increase because students will drive by those fields and see that we have something for them to use,” Houston said. 

Glatfelter also cities the underpass as a way to reduce traffic after big events at the Patriot Center, as well as providing connectivity between campus’ on a safer route. 

Returning to school, Glatfelter expects students and faculty to notice that Patriot Circle has been reopened after a three-week construction period. He believes more visual changes to campus will be seen following winter break. 

To say updated on West Campus construction, visit: recreation.gmu.edu or building.gmu.edu.