Vol. 23, No. 5, Sept. 4,2003

Status of major construction projects on campus:

• Central Campus Chilled Water Project Construction of the new 20,000-ton chilled water plant is about 60 percent complete. Traffic rerouting and street closures will continue on Gregory and Peabody drives and later on College Court between Virginia Drive and Lincoln Avenue as crews install piping around campus. The intersection of Peabody Drive and Dorner Drive is expected to reopen Sept. 8. Traffic will be rerouted and reduced to one lane each way on Green Street between Goodwin and Lincoln avenues until late October while crews lay piping for Loomis Lab. During September, crews will remove a sidewalk on the east side of Henry Administration Building temporarily while they are working in that area. Oak Street will reopen temporarily for the Sept. 6 football game but will not be completed until later in the month.
  
  

  Photo by Bill Wiegand Moving up Construction is progressing on the new parking garage located on the north side of campus, east of the Beckman Institute. Contractors are working on the fourth level of the six-level parking deck, scheduled for completion in February.

• Campustown Infrastructure Reconstruction and Streetscape Project (City of Champaign) Sixth Street was reduced to one lane and diagonal parking installed on the west side from Healey Street to John Street during the summer. Mid-block pedestrian crossings, benches and bike racks also were placed along Sixth Street, new street lighting installed in the 600 block of John and new sewers installed between Green and John streets. The City of Champaign is developing an improvement plan for the entire University District and seeking funding to continue with the project. The city also is negotiating a proposal for a development with 12 stories of apartments, two stories of commercial space and a 400-space parking deck for the city parking lot and vacated Wendy’s restaurant property at the corner of Green and Sixth streets.
  
• Abbott Power Plant A $60 million expansion of Abbott Power Plant is targeted for completion in October. Construction of the cogeneration building is nearing completion; the project also includes installation and commissioning of gas turbine generators, heat recovery steam generators and water treatment equipment.
  
• Bardeen Quadrangle Improvement work on the engineering quad and Boneyard Creek between Green Street and Springfield Avenue is nearly complete but planting will continue into November. Improvements to the area include new walkways, decorative paving and stone retaining walls.
  
  

  Photo by Bill Wiegand Getting there A view from the intersection of Mathews Avenue and Stoughton Street shows progress of construction on the Thomas M. Siebel Center for Computer Science. Plans call for the building to be completed in October.

• North Campus Parking Deck Contractors are working on the fourth level of the six-level parking deck near the intersection of University Avenue and Goodwin Avenue. The $26 million project, scheduled for completion in February, will include parking for 1,600 cars and 20,000 square feet of retail space.
  
  
• U.S. 150 Springfield Avenue/U.S. 150 has been resurfaced from Prairie Street to Wright Street and north on Wright Street to University Avenue, Champaign. Turn lanes will be installed at U.S. 150 and Goodwin Avenue in Urbana.
  
• McKinley Health Center McKinley is undergoing a $3.7 million facelift that includes new partitions, flooring and ceilings as well as new electrical, mechanical and telecomunnications systems. The remodeling will continue through May 2004.
  
• Thomas M. Siebel Center for Computer Science The $80 million project, which will include 250,000 square feet of classrooms, offices and computer laboratories, should be substantially finished in October. The site is east of Newmark Laboratory near Goodwin Avenue and White Street.
  n National Center for Supercomputing Applications Construction began in late August on a 127,000 gross-square-foot building that will include offices, research labs and conference and training facilities. The $30 million project is targeted for completion in July 2005. The supercomputing facility will be north of the Siebel Center.
  
  
• IMPE and CRCE Expansion The $77 million expansion and renovation of Campus Recreation facilities will begin in September. CRCE will be closed for renovations until August 2004. After CRCE has reopened, major construction will begin at IMPE and will continue until Fall 2006.
  
  
• Upcoming projects In December, construction is expected to begin on the $73.5 million Institute for Genomic Biology, near Goodwin Avenue and Gregory Street, and the $8.5 million Doris Kelley Christopher Hall/Family Resiliency Center, near Lincoln Avenue and Nevada Street.

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