t
Campus
Monday • September 1, 1997
Construction projects congest areas of campus^
By Jenara Kocks
Staff writer
Students returning to the A&M
campus from summer vacation will
be greeted by cement mixers, back-
hoes and steel poles.
Although University officials say
consfruction projects on campus are
running on schedule, some projects
are not completed.
Guy Cooke, assistant manager of
the facilities construction division of
the A&M Department of Facilities
Planning and Construction, said
construction has been hectic this
summer because of the many ongo
ing projects. Cooke said the most
complicated area of construction
was Main Campus.
“Our big thing was central (Main)
campus shutdowns,” Cooke said.
“We were anxious to get those done.”
Evans Library
Workers connected a pedestrian
bridge from the fourth floor of Evans
Library to the new library building in
mid-July.
Construction work on the library
complex will continue in the fall.
Cooke said construction workers
will continue to use Spence Street
and the sidewalk between Harring
ton Tower and the Academic Build
ing to make deliveries to construc
tion sites.
“The area around Spence Street
and Cushing Library will still be con
gested this fall,” he said.
Cooke said the four projects asso
ciated with Evans — the study com
plex, computing center, parking
garage and renovations to Cushing
— should be completed during next
Building was closed this summer
while the sidewalk in front of the
building was being repaired.
Les Swick, assistant director of
Physical Plant, said he hopes one
side of the west entrance of Block
er will be open for the first day of
classes. If one side is not complet
ed, students will be able to enter
the building only at its side or
north entrances.
“The area around Spence
Street and Cushing Library
will still be congested this
fall.”
GUY COOKE
ASSISTANT MANAGER,
FACILITIES CONSTRUCTION
summer.
Kyle Field and Reed Arena
Cooke said expansion of Kyle
Field will begin after the last home
football game this year and will be
completed in May 1999. He said con
struction on Reed Arena should be
finished in Spring 1998.
Blocker Building
The west entrance of the Blocker
Swick said pedestrian traffic and
water beneath the concrete surface
caused the concrete in front of the
building to fracture and become a
safety hazard.
Swick said poor soil was one rea
son water kept getting under the con
crete. He said workers had to exca
vate two feet of soil from in front of
Blocker and replace it with other soil
to be compacted.
Swick said the west entrance
should be open by the second week
of September.
Melissa McConnell, planner and
estimator at the Physical Plant, said
several pear trees next to Blocker also
were removed this summer. She said
the trees were too big for the area in
front of the building.
English Annex
The English Annex was demol
ished in mid-August.
Dick Williams, associate direc
tor for facilities at Physical Plant,
said the building was torn down
because it was in “total disrepair”
and was used only occasionally to
distribute yearbooks.
George Bush Presidential
Library and Museum
Cooke said the academic building
of the George Bush Presidential Li
brary will open Sept. 2, and the build
ing will be dedicated Sept. 9. The li
brary will open in November.
West Campus Roads
Tom Williams, director of Parking,
Transit and Traffic Services, said
some roads on West Campus which
were closed to motorists during the
summer will be open for the fall se
mester.
“We’re very excited about every
thing being completed,” Williams
said.
Williams said that during the
summer months, Olsen Road from
Bush Drive to Joe Routt Boulevard
was expanded to two lanes each way
and lighting and more medians were
added to the road.
Williams said John Kimbrough
Road on West Campus, which also
was closed this summer, reopened
Aug. 29.
The circle drive in front of the West
Campus Library was converted into
a bus stop with lights, trash cans,
benches and covered areas.
Williams said students now will be
able to catch buses from the West
Campus Library bus stop.
Lubbock Street
Tom Williams said Lubbock
Street from Bizzell to Coke streets
will be open to students moving
into the Commons this week and at
the beginning and end of each se
mester. However, the road will be
closed to through traffic the rest of
the year. Lubbock Street will be
open to people parking in staff, fac
ulty and handicap parking lots in
that area. Tom Will iams said people
also will be able to drive down Lub
bock Street to enter the library park
ing garage once it opens.
Ross Street
Dick Williams said the north
side of Ross Street will remain
closed this year until officials at
the Physical Plant can secure
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I |
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Bryan:
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268 - PAPA (7272)
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He said tl
Workers remove soil in front of Blocker after compacting caused sidewalks to fracture.
funding to repair the road.
He said the Physical Plant was not
expecting the “total failure” of this
road, so the department did not bud
get for its repair.
Dick Williams said erosion of
dirt underneath the street left air
pockets under the asphalt. The
combination of air pockets under
the asphalt and traffic flow has
caused the asphalt to break.
He said this type of erosion can
sometimes be caused by leaks in util
ity lines, but the cause of die erosion
beneath Ross Street is not known.
Dick Williams said Physical Plant
officials wiU request money from the
Board of Regents in September to re
build Ross because the street has be
come a safety hazard.
If the Physical Plant receives the
money for the street repairs, the
process of formulating a solution and
finding a contractor to do the job will
begin, Dick Williams said.
Texas Avenue
The Texas Department of Trans
portation (TXDOT) is continuing to
widen the mile-long stretch of Texas
Avenue from University Drive to Do-
stew milne/the BATOKftfeie in stora
liey were pic
irave site in (
minik Street.
Pat Williams, area engineer
TXDOT, said widening the road by
20 feet is a “slow and tedious
p rocess " Reside
Williams said workers are sched
uled to remove existing pavement Texas A&f
this week. miitted to
“After they have cleared this criti-, ^ j n res
cal point (removal of pavement), . ,
then the project will move more L.- ■ ,
quickly,” Williams said.
Williams said the $4.8 millionpro- e5idenc ‘
ject should be Finished in late spring 5 summer
or early summer 1998. , Ron Sass
llife, said sa
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Texas A&
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