Blacksburg campus improvement projects create a universal pathway to learning

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors’ Building and Grounds Committee approved a combined design preview and review for the Improve Campus Accessibility capital construction project to enhance pedestrian pathways and further accessibility across the Blacksburg campus. 

Approved during the board's meeting Nov. 18 in Alexandria, the Improve Campus Accessibility project will advance pedestrian mobility in the southeastern residential region with a continuous universally accessible pathway stretching from East Eggleston Hall, through the Peddrew-Yates quad, and ultimately connecting to the Quillen Spirit Plaza.  

Improving accessibility in this region bolsters the university’s commitment to provide safe and welcoming spaces and serves as a critical connection between academic, residential, and student life facilities in one of the most heavily traversed areas on the Blacksburg campus.  

The project will include the installation of 87,500 square feet of new American with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant pathways to manage grade changes and create accessible pedestrian pathways, advancing further development of the campus master plan’s award-winning Infinite Loops and Green Links.

The Infinite Loop is a perimeter accessible route that connects each district around the Blacksburg campus, and the Green Links are accessible landscape corridors that extend north-south through the Drillfield to major campus regions. 

“The Improve Campus Accessibility project is an important addition to our mobility network in the Student Life District of the Blacksburg campus. It expands and interconnects accessible routes and positions us for future segments of Infinite Loop and Green Links projects,” said Liza Morris, assistant vice president for planning and university architect. “The route resolves significant slope challenges and contributes to intuitive wayfinding for students, employees, and visitors. Implementation of each segment of Infinite Loop or Green Link promotes universal access and contributes significantly to a welcoming campus environment.”

Connecting the campus

The Improve Campus Accessibility project will feature upgraded paving, lighting, landscaping, and wayfinding. It will draw on accessibility guidelines outlined in the university design principles to expand universal access in the residential region. 

“This segment of the Infinite Loop will help establish an accessible pedestrian and bicycle network that links key academic, residential, and dining areas on the Blacksburg campus,” said Travis Jessee, assistant vice president for design and construction. “This project is helping to create spaces that all Hokies can use comfortably while advancing the university’s commitment to inclusive, sustainable, and pedestrian-first environments.”  

Removing the steps that tie into the eastern edge of the Quillen Spirit Plaza will be the largest grading effort for the project. The staircase will be replaced with a universally accessible pathway that provides multiple route options.

“This project is a major milestone in making the Blacksburg campus more navigable for everyone using our beautiful campus,” said Joe Cooley, campus accessibility architect. “The Infinite Loop is thoughtfully designed to enhance Virginia Tech’s already powerful sense of place. Completing yet another of the segments of this important visionary project will increase campus accessibility and strengthen the sense of connection between users at all areas of campus.” 

Mobility in motion

In alignment with the university’s ongoing commitment to provide accessible and welcoming spaces across the Blacksburg campus, two new ADA-compliant projects were completed early November in the North Academic District region. 

The recently completed pedestrian pathways offer direct and accessible routes from the Perry Street Garage and Transit Center to the Drillfield and from Patton and Holden halls to the Drillfield. The projects complete the three part series of high-priority mobility and accessibility improvements as part of the Life, Health, Safety, Accessibility, and Code Compliance project.

“Both pathways were developed to increase access for all across the Blacksburg campus,” said Morris. “The pathways contribute to campus aesthetics with Hokie Stone retaining and seat walls and planting beds as well as mobility infrastructure with bicycle racks and Blacksburg campus standard light fixtures.” 

The first in this series of improvements, a pair of elevator towers integrated in the Cowgill Hall steps, was completed fall 2024. The newly opened ADA-compliant routes help to connect the elevator towers to the Drillfield and further into the Patton Hall region to be used by students, employees, and visitors.

This series of mobility and accessibility improvements, which include the elevator towers, the pathway to the Drillfield, and the newly opened pathway between Patton and Holden Halls, are in support of the Infinite Loop and Green Links.

Once complete, the new connection between the Peddrew-Yates quad and the Quillen Spirit Plaza, as part of the Improve Campus Accessibility project, will serve as a vital link within the larger Infinite Loop network, supporting the university’s vision of an accessible, inclusive, and pedestrian-friendly Blacksburg campus.

Project details

• Build method: Design-Bid-Build
• Architectural/engineering: Hill Studio
• Contractor: TBD