Whitney Road, a driving thoroughfare on the University of Connecticut’s main campus, is set to partially close this week starting Monday, Feb. 24. Facilities crews will be replacing part of the steam infrastructure that runs underneath the road, says the University Planning, Design and Construction office.
Whitney Road begins at an intersection with Mansfield Road, in between Arjona and Monteith halls across the street from Mirror Lake, and runs for approximately a quarter of a mile, feeding into a special employee parking lot behind the Student Recreation Center. Whitney Road Extension then continues, running one-way alongside the West Campus Residence Halls until an intersection with Gilbert Road.
UConn Facilities staff announced that the closure would span from the intersection with Mansfield Road to an area adjacent to the Bousfield Psychology Building. They said the closure will not allow any “thru traffic”, but most parking spaces along the road and in an employee parking lot behind Arjona Hall will remain accessible. Whitney Road Extension will be converted to allow two-way traffic in order to allow people to enter from the western side of the road.
The announcement also said that temporary sidewalk detours would be installed as needed to make sure egress doors from buildings could stay open. Pedestrian traffic onto the Babbidge Path, which goes from Whitney Road past the entrances to Bousfield and the Dodd Center courtyard toward Babbidge Road, will be minimally impacted.
The closure comes as part of the Whitney Road Steam Improvements Project, an effort to replace steam lines and infrastructure that are unrepairable. The bidding process for the project began in November, with a final budget of $8,500,000 approved by the board of trustees in December. The document written by Executive Vice President for Finance, Jeffrey Geoghegan, explains that the new steam line to be installed will service multiple campus facilities, including the South Campus halls, Buckley, Shippee and Connecticut residence halls and dining, the Fine Arts complex and the School of Nursing buildings under construction near S Lot.
The on-campus steam infrastructure contributes to building heat and hot water systems, including those used in showers, laboratory supply lines and kitchen facilities.
This isn’t the first time UConn’s steam infrastructure has been replaced or refurbished. Mid-semester closures in the South Campus area occurred in 2023 due to steam equipment replacement, and other necessary facility improvements are conducted annually. Previous steam projects at UConn have been carried out by BOND Civil and Utility, a northeast-based civil infrastructure contractor, under agreements with the Con Edison energy development company and State of Connecticut.
BOND replaced steam vaults, underground piping and installed replacement sidewalks and brickwork alongside Hillside Road as part of a campus steam project in 2017, but it is not yet known if the same firm will work on the upcoming Whitney Road project. Steam “co-generation” facilities were also installed at UConn’s utility plants in 2023.
In addition to replacing aging infrastructure, UConn’s steam projects work toward satisfying environmental goals. According to the university’s Office of Sustainability, primary energy and building goals include commitments to renewable and clean power sources and efficient on-campus energy usage.
“The goal: Design, construct and renovate greener buildings on campus that operate more efficiently, use less energy and water, and have reduced impacts on the environment,” reads the vision document of campus sustainability and climate leadership from 2020.
The steam improvements are also a component of UConn’s newest sustainability plan, which is planned to be effective by 2030. UConn energy projects include renovations to numerous buildings, lighting system changes and solar canopies in parking lots in addition to steam infrastructure improvements, according to UConn Today.
For more information about South Campus Infrastructure Improvement Projects, visit the University Planning, Design and Construction webpage at updc.uconn.edu/sci.