Iowa State students no longer need to scale up or skip down the steep sidewalk near the Memorial Union parking ramp.

The sidewalk has been rerouted around a group of trees and turned into two sets of stairs and a ramp. Planning for the project began last fall, said Rick Fox, ISU campus landscape architect.

Construction began in June and will be completed within 45 days, Fox said. The steps have already been completed and are accessible.

Limestone retaining walls will be constructed and the hill will be graded to help reduce erosion. Native plants, tree shrubs and flowering perennials will be planted by this spring.

“We are hoping to improve the visual quality aof the area and make it very nice next spring,” Fox said.

Funding for the $40,000 project came from a special university appropriation for the improvements of campus sidewalks, Fox said.

The project is apparently good news for students with disabilities.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) served as a guiding force behind the stairs’ design, said Joyce Packwood, coordinator of disability resources for ISU.

The previous sidewalk was too steep and did not meet federal requirements.

“The ramp is being made to meet the standards so it should be adequate,” Packwood said. “I am looking forward to using it.”

Packwood said there are more buildings with ramps and automatic doors being installed on campus.

“There are lots of things on campus being done to make it more user friendly for wheelchair users and people with mobility difficulties,” Packwood said.

Fox said the only problem with the new stairs will be snow removal. “Campus services will have to shovel the snow off which will take more time to clear,” Fox said.