17
January
2012
|
09:59 AM
America/Chicago

Construction Update for Spring 2011

By: Randy Cypret

Contractors and UHD Facilities Maintenance crews made significant progress during Winter Break on construction projects under way at UHD.

Girard Street is scheduled to re-open to through traffic by 7 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17. Contractors made significant progress on the Main Street Bridge demolition during Winter Break. The overhead bridge reconstruction has started and will require intermittent one-lane traffic access on Girard for the next 60 days. Girard is scheduled to be fully operational by Spring Break.

Major "dirt work" to support the light rail and vehicular traffic between Interstate 10 and Naylor Street is now under way and will continue for several months. During this time, pedestrian routes between the One Main Building and the Shea Street Building will be reconfigured periodically to maintain pedestrian safety. Please observe and follow all pedestrian safety and directional signage.

Crews recently poured the final concrete on the last trestle bridge for the Hike and Bike Trail through campus. This is a City of Houston project managed by the Texas Department of Transportation. Additional work - primarily the installation of handrails - still needs to be completed before the trails can be opened. Once completed, the trails will provide a pedestrian link from UHD's One Main building and UHD's east and west parking lots.

The W. I. Dykes Library renovation project will continue through the end of the Spring Semester although various parts will be completed during the semester. The renovation includes a new glass entry, a new security gate system, student study furniture, a new Rockwell Room, a coffee house and new book stacks.

The new Academic Building Garage is scheduled to open Jan. 17 with a new visitors' area and reserved spaces for staff and faculty. These new parking spaces mean overall more parking in the Faculty/Staff Garage and in other lots on campus.

New floor tile is being installed in the elevator lobby areas of the One Main Building (East Atrium), floors six through nine. This work will be completed before Tuesday, Jan. 17.

Finally, the floor underlayment and floor tiles in the first floor North Dock Entry (next to the UHD Police Department) were replaced during break and the lobby area is now open.