More parking spaces on campus are being devoured by another construction project which began Tuesday.

Because of the construction of the Biomedical Research Tower, 83 spaces have been removed from the lot to the south of Lincoln Tower for the next two to four months, said Sarah Blouch, director of Transportation and Parking.

“There is no place to park and it is really annoying,” said Tiffany Hughes, who works at the Comprehensive Cancer Center.

A city sewer line that runs through the construction site needs to be relocated to run along Cannon Drive, said Bernie Castantino, associate university architect.

“Another 80 spaces in the Wiseman Hall surface lot will come out in the next week or so to facilitate the sewer project,” Blouch said. “In April, the remainder of this lot will close permanently to allow construction on the building.”

Limited alternate parking will be in the Sisson lot across the river from Morrill and Lincoln Towers. Patrons must traverse a footbridge to get to and from this lot.

The two eastern lanes on Cannon Drive, from 10th Avenue to John Herrick Drive, will be closed for two to four months because of sewer construction. This venture also will overload 12th Avenue to Cannon Drive with construction traffic, Blouch said.

Cannon Drive will continue to allow two-way traffic, but will be limited to one lane. Transportation and Parking expects heavy traffic delays during the peak hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

“Compounding the issue, the 12th Avenue street improvements will begin in April and end in July, so it will be a busy intersection,” Blouch said.

Twelfth Avenue must be widened later in the year to accommodate the influx of traffic expected from the State Route 315 project, she said.

The Biomedical Research Tower will allow Ohio State faculty and staff to conduct competitive medical research with peer universities. The building is being paid for by bonds, Castantino said.

“The construction of the tower is being driven by campus and medical need,” he said. “The sooner we can get it built, the sooner people can be working in it, and the sooner the bonds can be paid off.”

But employees, like Hughes, aren’t convinced.

“I think they need to be building garages, instead of buildings, right now,” she said.