Construction in front of Sirius Hall, formerly known as Residence Hall South, has resulted in several key campus walkways being closed off, leaving students to find alternative routes to their classes.
The construction is a result of a project to replace a leaky steam line that runs from Sirius Hall to the Central Utility Plant. To ensure student safety during the construction, the stairway in front of Sirius Hall, the nearby sidewalk and portions of the adjacent parking lot have been fenced off. According to Kelly Kinnard, assistant vice president for facilities management, the construction was originally scheduled to conclude prior to the beginning of the semester, but unforeseen circumstances have delayed the project’s completion to mid-March.
The delay has resulted in construction spilling into the spring semester, forcing students to find new paths that go around the fenced-off areas. Psychology freshman and Sirius Hall resident Chloe Yi has had to change how she gets around campus because of the construction.
“I used to walk down the stairs and take shortcuts to [my] classes, but now I have to walk fully around the parking lot,” Yi said. “And everyone is kind of going there … so it does take a couple more minutes on my commute to school and to classes and even if I want to go to Taco Bell, I have to [take] a super long route.”
Since the beginning of the construction, the work zone has steadily grown in size. The zone, originally consisting of the Sirius Hall parking lot’s border with Rutford Avenue, quickly began covering the adjacent pathways in construction. Soon after, the construction zone in front of Sirius Hall ran from North Loop Road all the way down to the end of the Sirius Hall parking lot, leaving only the ramp to the Sciences Building unblocked by construction. Recently, half of the parking lot bordering the construction has been completely fenced off, leaving the area completely inaccessible to pedestrians. The route from Sirius Hall to Taco Bell that Yi described, which once took 10 seconds, now takes 90.
Because of the inconvenience posed by the construction, frustration has started to brew in students who used to travel through the blocked footpaths, leaving them to wonder why the university decided to undergo heavy construction during the semester.
“I was confused [by the construction] because they did have all of break to do it, so I thought it would be over by the time break [ended],” Yi said. “And then it became an inconvenience to walk around everywhere.”
Ayush Sikdar, another student whose routine was affected by the construction, is disappointed in University Housing’s lack of communication regarding the construction and when it will be completed.
“I think [University Housing] could have put out more flyers and anything that I can see physically to be able to find out about the construction, why it’s happening and the time period of the construction because I don’t think I’m that informed about it,” Sikdar said.
However, students will not have to wait until mid-March to resume use of the affected pathways. According to Kinnard, there are already plans to open some fenced areas prior to the completion of the project.
“Closing the path locations and stairs was necessary to ensure pedestrian safety and still allow the work to continue,” Kinnard said in an email. “As we complete sections [of construction], we will re-open pathways.”
Kinnard said that this project is not the only project near University Housing planned for this semester. Students should look out for crews scheduled to install a shade outside of Helix Hall from mid-March to mid-July of this year.
