The road west of Point Loma Nazarene University’s Goodwin Hall closed at the beginning of the semester due to a storm drain break from the excessive rainfall during winter break. The soil underneath the road dissolved, which raised concerns for residents.
Jeff Bolster, PLNU vice president of university services, sent an email to main campus students on Jan. 7 to inform them of the road closure and its rerouting directions in front of Wiley and Finch Halls.
Bolster said that the issue was discovered by a neighbor, who lives on Amford Drive, the street west of Goodwin Hall. The neighbor contacted him via email on Jan. 5 and expressed concern about the soil pouring into the neighboring houses’ yards. Bolster said the problem was addressed immediately. He also visited the area, and he and campus facilities determined that the road was not safe to drive on.
The road leading to the entrance of Finch Hall became a two-way street, with green plastic fences dividing the middle of the road. Drivers in the Finch parking lot said they became more cautious, as some had been confusing the one-way strip before the dividers as a two-way. The road beside the Nease and Goodwin Halls had also turned into a two-way, allowing students to use the parking lot without needing to access the closed road.
Emmy Ryan, a second-year graphic design major and Finch Hall resident, said she almost got into a crash near the closed road.
“[My friend and I] came around a corner and these girls were going too fast, the wrong way on the one-way that heads up New Nease,” Ryan said. “They almost hit us, but swerved around. The signage isn’t even clear on where people can’t go; it’s a recipe for disaster.”
Annika Schramm, a second-year environmental studies major and Goodwin Hall resident, said that the closure had created a more peaceful dorm experience for her and her roommates.
“The road closure was actually really nice for me,” Schramm said. “My room window faces out to the road, so it was great not to have cars constantly driving by our window, and it was much quieter.”
The road reopened on Jan. 21, with big wooden panels covering a part of the road, but it still needs to be fully repaired. There is also a plastic covering over the side of the hill where the burst pipe and soil spillage had occurred. Bolster, along with Luna Construction and civil engineering firm Steven’s Cresto, had inspected the area again on Jan. 19 to see what needed to be done to fix the storm pipe and road.
“Initial repairs to the road behind [Goodwin] are complete,” Bolster said in an email sent on Jan. 21. “We anticipate further site work in the coming weeks to fully restore the road grade and surface.”
He said that campus facilities have a system when events like this happen, including cleaning the lines, ensuring cameras work and keeping the storm drains clear.
“For as much rain as we get and for as much acreage as we have, [this] happens very little,” Bolster told The Point.
Ava Bailey-Klugh 
Sydney Brammer 
Zoey Peters