Alumni Commons, a $9 million developmental project located between Columbia Ave. and Huguelet Dr. at the University of Kentucky, is still not complete since construction began in September of last year.

The project has been under construction for 10 months and was intended to be completed this past July, according to a UKNOW article. The grand opening will take place on Friday, Sept. 29 at 3 p.m. on Rose Street.

In the meantime, students and faculty are still having to safely navigate their way around the construction.

“The project has experienced some delays and we are exploring the cause of those while focusing on completely finishing the project,” Mary Vosevich, vice president for facilities management and chief facilities officer, said.

The construction site sits in the middle of several major UK buildings, such as the Chemistry-Physics Building, the William T. Young Library and the Don and Cathy Jacobs Science building. 

There are few signs that direct pedestrians and a path that safely avoids construction is unclear to some students. Students often walk on the grass and along dirt paths in order to make it to classes.

One student, sophomore Zachary McComas, was injured when he stepped and tripped over a short wall in order to avoid the construction. He was left with scrapes on his forehead, eyelid and nose.

He said he was in a rush to make it to class, as he only has 10 minutes to make the 15-minute walk from the College of Agriculture to Kastle Hall.

McComas was unable to make it to class after the fall and instead had to go to Urgent Care. He has since healed, and the wall has been fenced off.

“I do think it’s just very inconvenient for all students, especially on north campus,” McComas said.

Other students have found the construction to be inconvenient, such as freshman psychology major Reagan Warlick, who has to walk past the construction to make it to her class in the Funkhouser Building.

“There’s a chain back there and you have to walk over it to get to the other side,” Warlick said.

One part of Alumni Commons is completed and available for students to enjoy. The area in front of one entrance of the Chemistry-Physics building features outdoor seating, LED lights in the pavement and umbrellas to create shade.

“It was our goal to at least open the section between Columbia Avenue and Funkhouser Drive prior to the semester beginning,” Vosevich said.

The concept aims to reflect inclusion and diversity through its intersecting pathways and collaborative sitting areas. These spaces are meant to encourage students and faculty to gather, teach and learn, according to the Alumni Commons website.