UConn and Mansfield officials outline construction closures, possible 600‑space South Garage and fall scooter rollout

University of Connecticut officials told the Mansfield–University liaison committee they are managing multiple summer construction projects that will affect campus traffic, and they outlined plans that could reshape parking and micromobility near downtown.

“We had 19 active construction sites on campus,” Sean, UConn’s campus planner, said, and noted that the intersection of Jim Calhoun Way and Hillside — adjacent to the UConn Bookstore — will be closed for a couple of months for roof and spray‑foam work. Sean recommended detours to the garage top level and said air monitoring is ongoing.

Separately, Sean described the results of a parking feasibility study that identified a South Campus garage as a top option; the garage could provide roughly 600 net new spaces when paired with a new surface lot near the Innovation Partnership Building (Parcel B in the Tech Park master plan). “We think that it could be as many as net new, somewhere around 600 spaces or more,” he said.

Committee members raised concerns about construction traffic through residential streets and asked UConn to continue to coordinate with contractors about routing and resident notifications. “My guess is you’ll get some [complaints],” the mayor said, asking staff to limit large vehicles on small streets.

Sean also previewed a student scooter program that UConn hopes to open to the public by fall; scooters will be geofenced to designated corridors and staged at hubs near parking lots and housing to reduce sidewalk clutter. “They will not have the ability to leave those corridors,” Sean said, adding that the meter will keep running until riders return to a hub.

UConn staff said they will continue coordination with town public safety and businesses to reduce impacts and will return with more detailed phasing and mitigation plans. No formal approvals were requested of the liaison committee at the meeting.