UAlbany's Purple Path

ALBANY, N.Y. (October 19, 2007) -- The University at Albany today celebrated construction on its multi-use Purple Path, designed for campus and community activity including walking, jogging and navigating the UAlbany campus. Joining Officer in Charge and Provost Susan Herbst for an unveiling ceremony were members of the Purple Path Planning Studio and the Albany Running Exchange, as well as campus neighbors, faculty, staff and students.

"Our campus is a popular place for our neighbors, faculty, staff and students to run and walk, and this new path will make UAlbany an even more inviting place for these activities," said Officer in Charge and Provost Susan Herbst.

The concept for the path was developed by the Purple Path Planning Studio, a graduate studio of the Department of Geography and Planning, which won an American Planning Association Regional Award for design.

The first section of the Purple Path will consist of a two-lane trail -- a nine-foot-wide blacktop-paved path for walkers and a six-foot-wide path with crushed stone for runners -- with a grassy area in between the two. The Path will also be punctuated with bench seating and lighting. It will eventually replace and enhance the current path around campus, which is a mix of blacktop pavement, concrete sidewalks and well-worn compacted dirt areas.

"The Purple Path brings to fruition the vision to make UAlbany a more sustainable, safe and enjoyable place to be," said Jeffrey Olson, adjunct professor in UAlbany's Department of Geography and Planning.

Construction is underway on the Path's first section, stretching from the corner of the baseball field to the entrance of the SEFCU Arena parking lot. This section, which runs one-third of a mile long, is expected to be completed in December. This is the first phase of significant improvements planned for the entire route, which will be a five-kilometer loop trail encircling the campus.

UAlbany's Purple Path Video