BERKELEY -- UC Berkeley's Sproul Plaza, where history was made during the Free Speech Movement and the campus' focal point for student rallies, political demonstrations and even drumming circles, will close for three months for a much-needed face-lift.

Starting March 22, the plaza between Bancroft Avenue and Sather Gate will be off limits as workers rip out cracked and pitted asphalt and replace it with removable concrete paver blocks.

Benches, newspaper distribution racks, trash cans, information kiosks, and drain and sewer lines also will be repaired or replaced during the $1 million renovation project, University of California officials said.

The 40-year-old asphalt is not only unsightly butalso dangerous to pedestrians and the roughly 850 disabled students on campus, UC officials said.

"There's some huge potholes there, and if it's dark and you are going really fast trying to get to class, it's really dangerous," said Elyse Wesendunk, an American Studies student who uses a motorized wheelchair.

During the closure, expected to last until June 25, students will be rerouted through Lower Sproul Plaza. Noontime rallies, student information tables, dance performances and other events will also be moved to Lower Sproul Plaza, officials said.

Sather Gate and the brick area surrounding the plaza fountain will remain intact. No trees will be removed.

About 33,000 students attend UC Berkeley, and a majority use Sproul Plaza as the gateway to campus, said spokeswoman Christine Shaff. Officials hope the disruption to students will be minimal.

"There's never really a good time to do (the project). Even in the summer, 60 to 65 percent of the student population is here," Shaff said. "This is a project that is long needed, and we have the funds to be able to do the work. "

Spokeswoman Janet Gilmore said money for the project comes from the chancellor's discretionary fund, a combination of private endowments and unrestricted donor funds. No state money will be used, Gilmore said.

When the work begins, the cracked and warped asphalt will be replaced with concrete blocks set in sand. Many streets in Europe are paved with the blocks, which can hold up for centuries, said campus landscape architect Jim Horner.

Originally designed by noted landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, officials said renovation plans retain the original character of the plaza. Halprin also designed San Francisco's Levi Plaza, Ghiradelli Square and Justin Herman Plaza.