OXFORD, Miss. – A portion of Chucky Mullins Drive south of Highway 6 will close to through traffic April 16 to allow for ongoing construction of the University of Mississippi’s South Campus Recreation Facility and Transportation Hub.
The public will still be able to access the South Campus Trails, and Oxford-University Transit bus routes will continue in the area. The closure, which is for the area from Old Taylor Road north to the former Whirlpool site, is expected to remain in effect until January.
The university owns the 500,000-square-foot manufacturing plant, the old Whirlpool factory, on 68 acres on the southwest edge of campus. Portions of the existing building are being repurposed to provide space for fitness activities, departmental offices, classrooms, food service and a hub for Ole Miss Campus Recreation and the Department of Parking and Transportation.
Renovations to the exterior will transform the manufacturing plant into an active destination for students. This project is ongoing and expected to open in early 2019.
Traffic restriction points will be installed during the road closure. Roadblocks will be placed north of the old Whirlpool site at the South Campus Trails, east of the construction site at Whirlpool Drive and south of the site at the intersection of Old Taylor Road. Traffic restriction arms will be placed, which will allow the OUT bus Green Route to be redirected around the site through the old Whirlpool parking lot.
Until the gates are finished, the Green Route will be temporarily rerouted through Old Taylor Road to University Avenue to All-American Drive.
Once the projects are substantially complete in January, traffic will return to normal, with one addition. Early next year, the university and the city will work together to add a traffic light at the intersection of Chucky Mullins Drive and Old Taylor Road.