It has been more than a month since the groundbreaking of the Hillsborough Street reconstruction project, which aims to improve the condition of the street, make it more pedestrian-friendly and place a roundabout at Pullen Road.

So far the street is not only orange with cones, but full of the noise and bustle of construction and traffic. Fewer pedestrians walk the Hillsborough Street and while vehicular traffic has fallen low, the throughfare has maintained its congestion as the 18-month, $9.9 million project affects the surrounding community, including students.

 ”The intersection that they’re putting the roundabout in, that could be worthwhile.” Mike Gurl, a graduate student in construction engineering, said.

Gurl said he thinks the intersection becomes cramped at times but remains optimistic about the pedestrian benefits of the project.

“They’re turning it into a bit of a walking area,” Gurl said, “Which could be nice.”

John Kuhn, a senior in accounting, had a different view of the construction project.

“I believe the construction, for now, makes Hillsborough Street look pretty bad,” Kuhn said, adding he’s concerned the roundabout will become another navigational hurdle in the streets of Raleigh.

Kuhn also said was concerned at the pace with which the workers are working as well, as he said he hasn’t seen many people working on the project on a daily basis.

“Why don’t we make it 9 months and actually see people working sometime?” Kuhn said.

Bennett Welch, a a mechanical and aerospace engineering laboratory technician, said his arrival time has not been impacted by congestion on Hillsborough Street.

“I take the Carter-Finley park and ride,” Welch said, “and the bus still makes it on time.”

Welch also said he hasn’t seen any true inconvenience to pedestrians since the beginning of construction.

“I eat lunch here everyday.” Welch said, but said he could see how businesses could be affected by the limited amount of parking accessible to drivers on Hillsborough Street.

Jay Long, owner of Buddah’s Belly, said he hopes the end result will allow more customers to park near his store, which is located across from the Bell Tower.

“Hopefully it will be great when they are done,” Long said.

Long said he has noticed an exceptional decline in business, adding that the cluster involved in the construction along the entire street outweighs its necessity.

“My guess is if it’s like anything else that’s put together by the government, it’ll last much longer than that.” Long said of the 18 months of planned construction, adding he is concerned the cost of the project will be more than first thought as well.