BATON ROUGE -- Construction is ongoing along the side of Nicholson Drive near Tigerland as part of a MOVEBR project.

However, with students returning to campus, they and businesses close to Tigerland say it could be a potential problem.

Last week, East Baton Rouge leaders broke ground on the Nicholson Drive Segment 1 project, as part of the MOVEBR initiative to widen Nicholson.

According to EBR Transportation and Drainage Director Fred Raiford, part of the work is dedicated to relocating utilities. As for what's going on along Nicholson, WBRZ learned about the pipeline work.

However, LSU students and businesses along Nicholson say that it's blocking the path along the side of Nicholson to Tigerland, which can be a potential safety problem, especially with the heavy traffic near Tigerland at night and on gamedays.

"The sidewalk area that allows students to be able to travel back and forth, to which we see an enormous amount of foot traffic, is either pushing them towards the tracks, or they have to walk in the road, on the small amount of median," Trey Charleville of City Slice, a pizza shop across from Tigerland said. said.

At some parts of the construction, like at an orange fence near Tigerland's entrance, students say it essentially forces them to either go around, go onto the tracks, or step into the turn lane.

"What immediately went through my mind was why start it right now? The season kicks off in a few weeks, and students are starting to move into their dorms," LSU student Myron May said.

Raiford recommends that students and people walking along Nicholson head to the opposite side of it, where the businesses tend to be. However, students pointed out that the sidewalk eventually runs out. There are parking lots that people tend to walk through, but because of other construction going on, not every parking lot can be walked through from end to end.

Near the crosswalk between Nicholson and Bob Pettit Blvd, people ended up having to walk on the shoulder of the road.

Some students also worry about people potentially walking through the sites themselves, which can be dangerous.

"I feel like coming after the game, there's going to be a lot of traffic, so I think by them having like one specific lane, just for everybody to walk, it would kind of like make the traffic flow a little better," LSU student Hasan Grant said.

Raiford says they have to make sure they get the job done in a reasonable time frame, but did not know exactly when the section near Tigerland will be complete. Upperclassmen are set to return to campus this weekend, and classes begin next week. LSU's first football game at Tiger Stadium is set for September 5.