EMILY REID/Arizona Daily Wildcat Leo Narrdo, a construction worker, allows traffic to pass an area of new construction yesterday in front of the Park Student Union. The section of Park Avenue has been reduced to one lane in order for workers to lay cooling unit pipes for the renovation of the union and construction of a new dorm.

Commuters will need to plan alternate routes and deal with congestion while streets on the southwest side of campus are temporarily closed for construction.

The stretch of Park Avenue near the Park Student Union, 615 N. Park Ave., is restricted to one lane with traffic directed northbound and southbound until around March 25.

The alley between the Park Student Union and Kaibab-Huachuca Residence Hall, 940 E. Fourth St., is closed. During spring break, Park Avenue was closed between Fourth Street and Lowell.

Originally, Park Avenue was supposed to be restricted from March 25 to April 1, after the work in the alley was finished, but early completion during spring break altered plans.

"They are really doing well," said Melissa Dryden, director of construction for Facilities Design and Construction. "We are ahead of schedule."

The closures are a result of current and planned construction projects.

The project includes adding chilled water lines to improve the cooling system for the addition to the union and the construction of a new residence hall, Dryden said.

Around March 25, the project will enter its final phase, which calls for closing Fourth Street between Cochise Residence Hall, 1018 E. South Campus Dr., and the Franklin building, 1011 E. Fifth St., while the sidewalk will remain open.

"It seems like a hassle, but if it is going to improve the Union and residence halls I think it is a worthy cause," said Jenny Lillroth, a nursing freshman.

The project to renovate the union is planned to begin in May and conclude in summer 2003.

The renovation will increase the gross square footage of the building from 17,000 to 32,000. New tenants will include Arizona Student Media, Residence Life, a new game room and an expanded food court.

The new residence hall, which is part of the Highland District Redevelopment Project, is the first of four proposed halls. Upon their completion, the dorms will house more than 750 students.

Additionally, Fifth Street east of the Purchasing building, 603 N. Mountain Ave., will remain closed until May to drivers who want to enter Lowell Street from the east side near Highland Avenue.