USU's Champ Drive to Reopen in September

LOGAN — Utah State University plans to reopen Champ Drive on Sept. 4. The roadway provides access to buildings on the university’s south Quad and Old Main Hill. Champ Drive has been closed due to construction on the new Mehdi Heravi Global Teaching and Learning Center since last March.

Crews have been working on the project this summer to stay on schedule. Restoring access to Champ Drive — a primary Logan campus thoroughfare — was initially slated for August, and USU Facilities issued a statement last week calling for patience as they continue work on and near the site of the new building.

“USU Facilities appreciates the patience and understanding of the USU campus community during this road closure as we continue construction,” the statement read.

On March 6, university crews closed a portion of Champ Drive, which is being updated to accommodate the Global Teaching and Learning facility and additional parking. These road improvements will provide easier access to existing buildings and the construction site, which occupies one of the few remaining spaces abutting USU’s historic Quad.

The new center will house the Department of World Languages & Cultures and the Intensive English Language Institute. Named for USU alumnus and philanthropist Mehdi Heravi, the center will serve students taking language classes at USU, with more than half of those approximately 2,000 students choosing to major or minor in one of the programs offered.

Although the construction timeline was initially impacted by the pandemic, crews began preparing the site in summer 2022, and completion of the nearly 40,000 sq ft facility is expected between fall 2024 and spring 2025. The project is supported by funds from the State of Utah, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the O.C. Tanner Foundation, in addition to individual donors.

“This new center will create a home for USU’s language programs in a beautiful and new facility,” said CHaSS Dean Joseph P. Ward. “We’ve been following progress on the building this summer and know that folks are eager to see it completed, just as we look forward to the many opportunities it will provide students wishing to acquire language and cultural competencies at Utah State.”

Please visit https://chass.usu.edu/languages/gtlc/index for more information about this project.

Questions about Champ Drive access should be directed to USU Facilities at 435-797-3535.