'Graffiti' bridge to be overhauled

DURHAM -- There are going to be some changes to the corner of Duke campus where students have painted their hate, their hopes, their names and their events.

The East Campus bridge, which goes carries West Main Street over campus drive and crosses a major artery between Duke's East and West Campus, will be knocked down and rebuilt stronger, taller and wider.

The N.C. Department of Transportation will hold a citizen information workshop on Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m. in the meeting room of the East Union Building on Duke University's East Campus. At the workshop, NCDOT will provide information, answer questions and accept written comments regarding the project.

The DOT is planning on raising the bridge about three feet to allow emergency vehicles to pass, and considering two alternatives for the project.

The first alternative is to replace all four West Main Street lanes at the current 12-foot widths. The second is to keep the inner two Main Street lanes at 12 feet, but widen the two outer lanes to 14 feet, which would give cyclists and pedestrian some room.

The rebuilding will also add a sidewalk on both sides of the Campus Drive bridge, said Drew Joyner, project development engineer for NCDOT. Acquisition of surrounding property for the widening will begin in 2005, and construction is expected to begin in 2006, Joyner said.

The construction, which is expected to take up to a year and a half, will be done in two phases, which will allow the DOT to keep two lanes on Main Street open.

The bridge, which records show was built in 1950, is getting to the point where it is going to start falling apart, Joyner said.

Currently there are three bridges in a row that cross Campus Drive, the West Main Street bridge, the railroad bridge and the Pettigrew Street bridge, but the construction only includes the Main Street bridge.

The East Campus Bridge, which some call the graffiti bridge, is an informal message board that displays Greek letters, advertises events and reflects campus controversies.

In October 1997, an organization representing gays and lesbians decorated the underpinnings of the bridge with a bright pink background and phrases such as, "Have a gay day," "Dyke Power" and "Lesbian Avengers" to celebrate National Coming Out Week.

When Duke's facilities management painted over the sayings, representatives from campus organizations representing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community criticized Duke's administration, and said the removal of the saying that were not obscene was censorship and discrimination.

Duke's administration apologized for painting over some of the sayings, and stated that a policy would be set to address the situation.

William King, Duke University archivist emeritus, said there were always new things to learn and unanswered questions about the campus, and when students started painting the bridge was one of the unanswered questions.

King said he did receive a letter from an alumnus that indicated that graffiti donned the bridge in 1939 or 1940.

Joyner said NCDOT records indicated that the bridge was built in 1950, but King said the bridge had to have been built before then, closer to the time when East Campus was redesigned in 1925 and 1927.

King, who attended Duke from 1957 to 1961, said he doesn't recall any controversies that were addressed on the wall besides the one involving the gay and lesbian community in 1997.

Typically, NCDOT policy states that graffiti isn't allowed on bridges, and if it appears, it has to be removed, but Joyner said he assumed the graffiti traditional would be allowed to continue on the new bridge. "My assumption would be, this is one of those situation we just kind of turn a blind eye because Duke University handles that," Joyner said.

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WHAT: NCDOT workshop on replacement on West Main bridge over Campus Drive.

WHEN: Tuesday, 4 to 7 p.m.

WHERE: Meeting room in the East Union Building on Duke University's East Campus.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: For more information, call Drew Joyner at 733-7844, ext. 269, e-mail him at djoyner@dot.state.nc.us or write to him referencing TIP project no. B-3638 at Project Development & Environmental Analysis, 1548 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1548.