Woodruff Circle realignment project to improve access, safety and aesthetics

By By Kay TorranceMay 11, 2012

Construction begins in mid-May on a major project that will improve the traffic flow of shuttle buses and cars, enhance pedestrian access and improve safety throughout the area.

Click the link below to see a larger version of the rendering.

Tree replanting will retain forest canopy

Emory's No Net Loss of Forest Canopy policy will mitigate the impact to the trees affected by the Woodruff Circle Realignment Project. "We are going to replace all the trees that are cut down," says James Johnson, a Campus Services landscape architect, and creator of the University policy that guarantees that every time a tree is removed, a sufficient number of trees will be planted to maintain the same forest canopy.

Emory hired an independent arborist to evaluate the trees around Woodruff Circle — mostly maple, ash and oak — and make recommendations. Before construction starts in mid-May, the roots of the trees that will remain will be pruned, and other activities during and after construction will help "ensure that the trees that are remaining have the best chance," Johnson says.

Some trees from Woodruff Circle area have already been relocated and replanted at the law school, to help re-establish a tree canopy in the area where trees were lost in a major storm last spring, Johnson says.

The design team plans to transform Woodruff Circle into a Piedmont forest with native trees and shrubs. "Right now it's grass and trees, and what we're planning is more of a true forest, with canopy trees, understory trees and a shrub and ground cover layer," he says.

A "rain garden" will collect and hold storm water and allow it to slowly infiltrate into the ground, explains Johnson. While there will be some irrigation during the establishment period, notes Johnson, "the long-term goal is a self-sufficient landscape, to not be dependent upon potable water to keep the landscape alive."

Emory is working with Mississippi Wood Trader, a local miller, to salvage the wood from some of the trees that will be removed. Most recently, Mississippi Wood Trader helped Emory create educational kiosks from fallen oaks in Lullwater Preserve.  "We haven't figured out what we want to do with [the lumber] yet, but the design team is taking ideas, from tables to bowls," says Johnson.

— Kim Urquhart

Construction and renovation beginning after Commencement and continuing through the summer will improve shuttle access to Woodruff Circle, enhance safety for both vehicles and pedestrians, and improve the aesthetics of the overall area.

In the first phase of a project that has been in planning for five years, construction crews will fashion a pick-up/drop-off area for non-shuttle traffic between the Dobbs University Center and the James B. Williams Medical Education Building.

Next, the renovation of Woodruff Circle will begin. It will become a true circle (see drawing), with a consolidated entry and exit to and from Clifton Road that has its own traffic light that aligns with Uppergate Drive. Woodruff Circle will be restricted to shuttle buses and delivery trucks only. In addition to accommodating all previous Woodruff Circle shuttles, the new circle will accommodate all shuttles that currently drop off on Means Street.

These and other changes will promote better traffic flow of buses, cars and pedestrians, says Charlie Andrews, senior vice president of space planning and construction for the Woodruff Health Sciences Center.

A new traffic light and crosswalk at Woodruff Circle, which will replace the light and crosswalk at Clinic A and Emory University Hospital (EUH), will allow walkers to cross the street safely. A left-hand turn lane will be added to Woodruff Circle to ease exit and in each direction on Clifton Road to ease entry for shuttle buses. In addition, sidewalks on each side of Clifton Road will be pulled back farther from the road, with a 4-foot planting strip serving as buffer.

Meanwhile, bus shelters inside Woodruff Circle will be updated to provide more protection from the elements, and planters and bollards (short vertical posts) will be added to help separate pedestrians from shuttle buses. New lampposts also will be added.

The project will include a new ADA-access sidewalk that leads directly from Woodruff Circle to the new intersection at Uppergate. The current MARTA stop will be relocated to the Uppergate intersection as well.

The project will increase "impervious" surfaces by 9 percent. Twenty-six trees (see sidebar) will be removed from the Woodruff Circle area and EUH front lawn, and 90 trees, all native species, will be replanted in these areas, in accordance with Emory's tree canopy policy, says Campus Services Capital Planner Steve Lange. The area within the Woodruff Circle itself will be restored to natural woodlands, with no mowing required. 

The Woodruff Circle area also will be landscaped and graded to draw the eye to the front of the Woodruff Memorial Building, says Andrews. "This 350,000-square-foot building is the largest research building on campus," he says, "and we're excited about this opportunity to help showcase this building more."

He adds, "We are very aware of the researchers and other people working in this area, and we will do everything possible to minimize noise and other disruptions during this construction."

The project is expected to be completed this fall.

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