The underpass at Prospect Road and Center Avenue opened today after a full year of construction on the $6 million project. 

The underpass provides access to campus and the Aggie Village apartments from Center Avenue.

The project was expected to take 10 months and was scheduled to be completed in July, according to the City of Fort Collins. The construction started in early January, according to a report in the Coloradoan. 

The project was initiated because the area receives a high level of of pedestrian and cyclist traffic. Nearly a quarter of all cyclists and pedestrians entering campus pass through the Prospect and Center intersection, said Facilities Management Planner Fred Haberecht in an article for the Coloradoan. Roughly 3,300 student bicyclists and pedestrians enter campus from the location each day during the academic year, according to a SOURCE article.

The funding for the project came from excess proceeds from bonds for the South Campus Parking Lot and the University Square Parking Garage, according to the University program plan. 

The underpass is not fully complete. Contractors are still working to finish a stairway, but both ramps are open, according to Dell Rae Ciaravola, CSU rick and public safety communications manager. 

The underpass is lit and is reportedly expected to be fully completed within a few weeks. 

University officials expect the underpass to be heavily used by faculty staff and students who work at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, on the south side of campus, according to an article in SOURCE.  

The underpass is part of an agreement between the City of Fort Collins and the Univeristy to expand campus and the Prospect corridor. 

Collegian News Editor Erin Douglas can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @erinmdouglas23.