Visitors to the University of Washington Tacoma campus may notice a new feature at the top of the Grand Stairs near South 19th Street and South Jefferson Avenue.

On Friday morning, a crew installed a steel, eight-foot-tall “W” statue that aims to increase branding on campus, as well as improve safety by providing a barrier against vehicular traffic.

A 65-year-old woman driving down South 19th Street was killed last year after she lost control of her motorhome and careened down the staircase that cuts through the middle of campus and connects South Jefferson Avenue to Pacific Avenue (see “Driver killed in crash on UW Tacoma campus,” Tacoma Daily Index, Aug. 11, 2014).

Similar statues can be found on University of Washington campuses in Seattle and Bothell.

UW Tacoma officials plan to host an event in September to officially unveil the statue.

More information is available online here and here and here.