Taking advantage of the nearly absent traffic, Associated Students Bicycle Improvements Keep Everyone Safe had various damaged areas of the bike paths repaved over Winter Break.

Between Dec. 22 and 25, parts of the bike path that extend from the Arts Building to Davidson Library were repaved by United Seal Coating and Slurry Inc., which began the project by removing some parts of the curb as well as tree roots growing underneath the path, said Maryann Johansson, Maintenance and Facilities Project Manager. In addition, the company applied slurry, which is a protective mixture of sand and oil, to areas that were not too dramatically damaged.

“It’s important to slurry areas every two to three years, then it keeps the cost down and prevents future disintegration,” Johansson said.

The cost of construction for the project was $25,000. A.S. Student Affairs Adviser Scott Bull said Students Initiative money funded the project.

“This project was able to be completed due to the support from the Student’s Initiative,” Bull said. “We are grateful that students could provide this service for everyone.”

Johansson said the bike path still needs to be re-striped, although there is no set date for this process.

“What they have to do is clean it up, because right now there is sand, [which helped it dry], and then stripe it,” Johansson said.

Despite being much quieter during the break, Johansson said a few pedestrians and bicyclists still strode or rode across the wet slurry.

“People always ride on it when it’s wet, and then we have to redo the bike path,” Johansson said. “If you want the bike paths done in an expedient matter, try not to use it.”

Bull said more improvement projects are planned for the future in order to make commuting to campus that much easier.

“It’s so sweet and smooth,” Bull said of the newly repaved areas. “Bike commuters will benefit greatly.”