The Campus Drive entrance to campus from Braddock Road was expected to open on Jan. 7 but the road remains unfinished and a firm opening date has not been established.

Senior Communications Manager Michele McDonald stated that the project is nearing completion.

“Before it can be opened, there is a protective barrier for the new Ox Road bridge abutment to be completed, a portion of the shared use path to be paved, and lighting under the bridge to be hung,” McDonald said.

“We had hoped to have the road open at the start of the spring semester, but much of the remaining work is very weather dependent. The weather forecast does not indicate that we will have the necessary minimum temperatures required to complete this work in the near term,” continued McDonald.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, “what constitutes extreme cold and its effects can vary across different areas of the country.In regions that are not used to winter weather, near freezing temperatures are considered ‘extreme cold.’”

The Northern Virginia and DC area has recently experienced what is extreme weather for this area, with Washington Dulles International Airport recording a temperature of nine degrees on the morning of March 6, which replaced the record of 15 degrees, according to the Washington Post.

Junior Nate Eom commutes to campus, and stated that he would potentially use the entrance if it was open, and said he usually arrives on campus between 11:30 a.m. and noon.

“There’s not that many people going to school though when I go, so using the Campus Drive entrance would be more practical to 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. commuters,” Eom said.

Katie McKinley, a junior at Mason lives about four miles from campus.

“I leave an hour before my class to deal with traffic and parking so a new entrance would hopefully help alleviate some of that,” McKinley said.

Featured image by Johannah Tubalado