A new handicapped space and ramp will be installed as part of NIU parking facility improvements totalling $480,000.

NIU Project Manager Conrad Miller said $30,000 was approved for the installation of a handicapped space and ramp as part of the resurfacing of Lot D near Neptune Hall.

Other lots to be resurfaced include Lot 20, near the field house for $185,000, and Lot 3 near the Music Building for $110,000. Miller said the costs include necessary curbing repairs and striping.

Miller said $90,000 was approved for the resurfacing and extension of Lot 6 near the heating plant. The lot will be reshaped to accomodate the new service drive planned in the Wirtz Quadrangle renovations. Although the parking lot is considered separate from the quadrangle for funding purposes, the two projects will be done simultaneously.

In addition to resurfacing and expansion, $60,000 was approved for the construction of a new lot on Lincoln Terrace. The property, known as the “thumb” because of its small size and relatively remote location, was purchased last summer and has been cleared of debris.

Miller said the lot will be connected to existing drainage and electrical facilities, and then covered with gravel. The lot will be open before paving because the gravel needs time to settle, and “having people park on it is the best way to do that,” Miller said.

$5,000 was approved for the paving and lighting of a walkway from Lots X and O to the residence halls. Although the walkway was not constructed by the university, it will be paved with asphalt and lit to enhance safety. “There’s no sense in fighting it,” Miller said.

Funding for the improvements was approved by the Board of Regents in June and the Illinois Board of Higher Education in September. The project will be paid for with parking division revenues as part of NIU’s FY 1990 non-appropriated budget.

Miller said bids will be accepted in January or February, and work will begin in May.