Campus Construction Season Kicks Off with May 5 Groundbreaking

PULLMAN, Wash. — Lately, major construction projects, a variety of indoor and outdoor maintenance, preservation and improvement work, and the renovation of a number of roads and parking lots are becoming ever-escalating features of life on the Washington State University campus.

As work continues toward the mid-2005 completion of the $39 million Johnson Hall Addition, construction of another major capital project – the $12.7 million Cleveland Hall/Education Addition – will get underway early next month.

A public groundbreaking ceremony and reception for the project is scheduled for 4 p.m. May 5 at the southwest corner of Cleveland Hall. Linked to Cleveland Hall by a covered pedestrian bridge, the new annex building will contain six new state-of-the-art classrooms, two project rooms, eight offices and open common space for study groups and informal interactions. Construction will continue until August 2005.

In addition to WSU’s planned major construction work, which will be managed by Capital Planning and Development, Facilities Operations will be proceeding with an exceptionally high number of minor capital projects on campus throughout the summer months.

“This is an unusual summer for FacOps and the minor capital budget,” said Rob Corcoran, assistant director in Facilities Operations. “We were given over $30 million in minor capital funding to help with deferred maintenance, preservation, safety and improvement projects this biennium. Therefore, our summer work is probably at least double, if not more. We are tackling some large exterior renovation projects and a lot of indoor work.”

“Basically, we have a list of anticipated projects that run from May through September and beyond,” said Keith Bloom, quality assurance office for CPD.

CPD’s list includes some 38 different project areas, ranging in scope and duration. Among those are the renovation of the Wilmer-Davis Dining Center, scheduled to conclude this month, as well as the renovation of the Regents Dining Center and a campus signage and improvements project, both of which should be completed by fall semester. Also on the list is pre-design work for the hospital renovation and the new Veterinary Biomedical Facility, which is expected to continue through June.

While the major construction work will create some traffic obstructions, Bloom said most are not expected to last more than a day. Corcoran said longer term closures will result, however, as the result of a number of street projects, such as chip sealing on Grimes Way and Forest Way, as well as the realignment of North Fairways Road near the Student Recreation Center, which will start in late summer and continue for more than a year.

“We need to get rid of that dangerous hairpin turn with a better design,” Bloom said of the North Fairways road realignment work.

Maintenance of Grimes Way, between Airport Road to Stadium Way, will affect traffic for one to two weeks sometime during July and August, causing some detours and delays. Reconstruction work and utility upgrades on Wilson Road, between Stadium Way and Quad Services, during May and June will limit access to parking and cause detours for a period of up to six weeks. Roadwork on Forrest Way, between state Route 270 and Olympia Avenue, will cause some closures, detours and delays for a period of two to four weeks during the summer months. A variety of projects along Colorado Street are also expected to result in periodic closures and delays.   

Other CPD construction work scheduled at WSU this summer includes renovations and repairs to Library Road and Glenn Terrell Mall, electrical distribution duct bank upgrades and renovation of the South Fairway parking lot and other campus parking lots.

Facilities Operations plans include renovations of the exterior of Fulmer, Wilson and Morrill halls and the exteriors of the Commons and Murrow East buildings, as well as a long list of sprinkler, roof, window, elevator and pedestrian walkway renovations and repairs.

For continuing information of construction work on the Pullman campus, visit the CPD Web page at www.cpd.wsu.edu or the Facilities Operations Web page at facops.wsu.edu. 

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