Graphic of two images. On the left, a photo of a road with construction fence, equipment and a prominent road closed sign. On the right, a map showing a road closure on California Avenue

California Avenue closure starts Dec. 1

Expect detours for bikes, scooters and authorized vehicles

  • by Scout Mata

Beginning Dec. 1, 2025 and continuing into 2026, a portion of California Avenue near Cruess Hall will be closed to vehicular and bicycle through traffic. The closure extends from the intersection at North Quad to the intersection at Tennis Court Lane, near the campus gate. 

See closure details in the interactive map and find information on detours below.

  • Tips for Using the Map Below
  • See the legend. Click the icon next to the title "Big Shift Detour Map." This toggles the map's legend to appear.
    Zoom in. use your mouse's scroll wheel or track ball when hovered over the map portion.
    Full screen. To view the map in full screen mode, click the "four corners" icon in the upper-right-hand corner of the map. (Once in full screen mode you can click on the plus and minus icons located in the lower-left-hand corner of the map.)
    Detail view. To zoom in on a specific segment, click the title of that segment in the map's legend.

Detours

About Big Shift

The closures are in place to accommodate the installation of hot water pipes as part of the Big Shift, a campus-spanning project to decarbonize university infrastructure by converting our heating system to use hot water instead of natural gas. Learn more about Big Shift.

Vehicular Detours

The closure will only affect vehicles authorized to drive through campus, including delivery vehicles. This traffic will be directed to other campus entrances, including the entrance on First Street near the A Street intersection and the entrance on Hutchison Drive near the intersection of Kleiber Hall Drive.

Bike Detours

Bicycles, scooters and other micromobility vehicles, will be directed around the California Avenue closure via Regan Hall Circle and Sprocket Bikeway.

Pedestrian Detours

Pedestrians will still be able to walk down California Avenue, but the west sidewalk near Cruess Hall will be closed. Pedestrians will be directed to the eastern sidewalk via crosswalks at the North Quad intersection and near Cowell Building.

Have any questions?

If you have questions about the upcoming closure or Big Shift at large, reach out to the project team via the Big Shift contact form.