University Boulevard on the west side of the University of Maryland campus will undergo a massive facelift, as two lanes face long-term closures next month for the Purple Line.

Starting around March 3, the right-hand lanes on both sides will be shut down for construction work related to the Purple Line, starting at West Park Drive just past the archery range and heading west to New Hampshire Avenue, near the Takoma Langley Crossroads Transit Center.

Pedestrians and bicyclists will be required to stay outside of the construction zone at all times.

Already, University Boulevard has had overhead and underground utilities moved; medians demolished, regraded and paved; and new stormwater drainage systems installed.

By 2022, the Purple Line will run in the center of the road alongside traffic, while the rest of the road will have been modernized.

Construction workers will narrow University Boulevard from three lanes in each direction to two and use the extra space to move sidewalks farther back from the road and widen them. A new five-foot bike lane will be added along the length of the road.

The new University Boulevard will be designed for cars, mass transit and pedestrians to use together.