WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2004
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
3
Construction crews dig in on campus
By Erik Johnson ejohnson@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Students walking along Jayhawk Boulevard this week should not disregard a massive missing portion of the road near the 14th Street intersection as another neglected Lawrence pothole.
Construction crews broke ground Monday at the University of Kansas on a major repair project expected to last until February 2005. Crews dug a hole nearly 20 feet deep to gain access to a portion of a utility tunnel that has become dilapidated, starting a long summer of campus construction and the third consecutive year of tunnel repairs.
Nearly three miles of utility tunnels wind under the University's main campus. Most of the tunnels are large enough to walk through, housing steam, communication and power lines. The tunnels also serve as passageways for water and sanitary sewer lines.
CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION
A large section of tunnel, extending from Spooner Hall across Jayhawk Boulevard and between Lippincott and Dyche Hall, must be totally replaced. Decades of water corrosion has made the area unsafe for workers to pass through.
The campus tunnels were mined into a layer of shale in the early 1900s and constructed with a brick-arched roof. By the mid-1960s, they were in visibly poor condition, prompting officials to install corrugated tubing for added strength and stability.
Carruth-O'Leary Hall: Renovation of rooms 101, 102 and 103 for Human Resources Offices. Expected Completion Date: September 2004
Snow Hall: Renovation of Architecture Classrooms. Expected Completion Date: Beginning of Fall 2004 Semester
Other Ongoing Projects:
Engel Road: Fixing area from 15th Street to Irving Hill Drive
Bailey Hall: Renovation of rooms 203 and 204 for Graduate Teaching Assistant offices. Expected Completion Date: Beginning of Fall 2004 semester
Strong Hall: Third Floor Kansas Algebra Program (KAP) rooms, one side of hall. Expected Completion Date: Beginning Fall 2004 semester
Korean War Memorial on Memorial Drive, west of Strong Hall. Expected to be completed before start of Fall 2004 Semester
Summerfield Hall: Renovation of room 119. Expected Date of Completion: Beginning Fall 2004 semester
Hall Center for Humanities: Expected completion late 2004
Wescoe food court remodeling and addition expected to be complete by Fall 2004 semester
Oliver Hall: Main lobby renovation begins this summer
Source: Mike Miller, KU Director of Facilities Operation
Inspections last summer revealed certain portions of the tubing had rusted completely through.
"You could actually reach out and push holes through the rusted metal," said Jim Modig, director of the design and construction management team at the University.
Modig asked if the section could somehow be repaired,but a hired structural engineer recommended immediate replacement
to avoid any potential dangers in the future.
The project is staged, said Gary Lawson, engineering project manager, so Dyche Hall may be without hot water in its bathrooms for a short time. Construction may also block access to the south entrance of Spooner Hall, but the main entrance will remain open as usual.
Construction crews have constructed a temporary bypass for southbound traffic on Jayhawk Boulevard that leads behind the stone-framed map facing 14th Street. The bypass will remain open until July 23, when the first phase of the project is expected to be completed.
Other project phases will be less intrusive to campus traffic, focusing on tunnel work and replacement of temporary steam lines and valves on the east and west ends of Jayhawk Boulevard.
As with any construction endeavor, avoiding delays is a top priority. Pete Laughlin, lead consultant for Hoss & Brown Engineers, Inc., 4910 Corporate Centre Drive, said he is confident the project will be completed by the expected date of Feb.15,2005.
"We do have a tight window to get across Jayhawk Boulevard," Laughlin said. "Once we get across that, though, I don't see the possibility of any delays."
—Edited by Jay Senter