by Christopher Sanchez
Daily Lobo
Despite the closure of UNM's Stanford Drive entrance Monday, traffic flow is going better than expected, said Clovis Acosta, director of Parking and Transportation Services.
"It's a lot smoother than I thought," he said. "People haven't even gotten used to it yet. Give it a couple of days and it won't be bad at all."
The entrance is closed for the next two years for the construction of George Pearl Hall, which will house the School of Architecture and Planning. The construction fence has been placed, enclosing a portion of Redondo Drive, but major construction has not begun.
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UNM student Suzahn Eicke said the signage around Redondo Drive guided her to the Cornell Parking Structure without trouble.
"The construction didn't affect me," she said. "I just come in, and like always, I find a parking spot."
She did not notice any difference in traffic, she said.
Acosta said Redondo Drive is busiest around 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. If problems arise, he said the department will try to correct them. No one filed complaints to the department on the first day of construction, Acosta said.
"I wasn't sure what to expect," he said. "Now that I've seen it, I'm sure it will be fine."
UNM instructor Stan Steinberg said he did not experience any problems trying to find a place to park on campus. His only problem with the construction was having to turn around on Redondo Drive to find a parking space, because he was not able to enter the structure heading east.
"Other than that, they've done all right," he said.
Redondo Drive around the parking structure was reduced from three lanes to two. Because of this, drivers wanting to park in the parking structure must head west, Acosta said.
