The construction site of the new recreation center of the UConn Storrs campus located near the business school and across the B&N bookstore, planning to be completed at 2019. (File photo, The Daily Campus)
Over the summer, construction on several roads and buildings continually occurred at the University of Connecticut, and some of the construction will continue into the fall semester.
Roads
The biggest project is the utility line replacement on North Eagleville Road that has led to traffic restrictions on the road. The construction is expected to still be underway through December, according to UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz.
“The construction on North Eagleville Road will make it hard for students in dorms like North, North West, or Towers though,” Timothy Mason, a third-semester physiology and neurobiology major, said. “There isn’t really a sidewalk anymore, and it is a one-way road. The only way to drive through campus now is to go through Hillside, which already has a lot of traffic.”
On Hillside Road, there is one sidewalk open for pedestrians and a one lane road. There is also a light which directs three lanes of traffic at the intersection and allows one lane to move at a time.
“Because traffic flows one way, it makes it so much harder to get down the road,” said third-semester Academic Center for Exploratory Students (ACES) student Luis Paulino. “Honestly with how students are, an accident may occur with a someone crossing the street where they aren’t supposed to because the points to cross are so far apart.”
Paulino expressed concern about students’ ability to navigate campus amidst the various construction projects.
“With everything that’s going on, students may run into a lot of problems getting around campus. Our options are limited, and right now it doesn’t seem like they’re going to increase any time soon,” Paulino said.
Villar said she feels that the construction which is still underworks will cause issues during the semester.
“The construction is going to cause a lot of confusion for many students that are trying to get around campus. Since the multiple construction projects are going on at the same time and in centralized areas on campus, many students will have a hard time getting around,” Villar said.
A smaller repaving project at Gilbert Road was completed over the course of one week. The sidewalk towards Alumni was also replaced, making a more accessible pathway for students.
Buildings
-The tiles that create Gampel Pavilion’s roof are currently being refurbished. This project began soon after Commencement 2017 and will finish before the 2017-18 basketball seasons begins, according to a UConn Today article.
Additionally, the volleyball team will be playing their games in the field house, and First Night, the annual kickoff event to basketball season, will not be happening due to the renovations.
Other popular events may also be in jeopardy. Vanessa Villar, a seventh-semester communications major and former Undergraduate Student Government (USG) senator, said that the project at Gampel might create a potential conflict with a Homecoming event, Lip Sync.
“Lip Sync is a tradition here at UConn. Gampel being out of commission may mess up the homecoming experience for incoming freshman,” Villar said.
Villar said that she received an email which asked for students to petition for a location for Lip Sync to keep the tradition alive.
-The new student recreation center is in its second year of construction. After taking all of last year to reconfigure the underground pipe system, the cement foundation has been laid down and structures are finally starting to come up. It is slated to be completed in the summer of 2019.
A model of the new rec center and the surrounding area is on display in the student union next to the Union Exchange.
-The Engineering and Science Building, which is being built across from the chemistry building, will be done by the time the school year begins, according to UConn Today. The building is “being built to environmentally friendly standards aimed at earning LEED Silver certification,” according to the article.
“I’m really excited to see what the building will have. It’s going to be a brand-new building with new equipment, I mean who wouldn’t want this experience,” Mason, who will begin working in the building on Aug. 21, said.
Caesar Valentin is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at Caesar.valentin@uconn.edu.
