Construction Disruption Log

Portions of Parking Lots A, B, C and D to Close This Week as Sealing, Striping Begins

Portions of northern parking Lots A, B, C and D will close while crews repair cracks and potholes, apply sealant and re-stripe parking spaces. The work began Tuesday, Aug. 10 and will continue through Wednesday, Aug. 17. Earlier in the week, crews completed work on Lots H and I and replaced striping on Drive H.

  Parking Lot C before....   Parking Lot H after....

Parking Lot I Set to Reopen Friday While Lot H Striping Begins

Lot I will be reopened Friday, Aug. 6, after having its surface re-sealed and re-striped. Lot H remains closed, however, as crews plan to work through the weekend re-striping its surface, weather permitting. Lot D in the north part of campus will be next for sealing and striping work, which is expected to begin Monday, Aug. 9. Citing rain chances, work scheduled to begin Friday, July 30, was delayed till Monday, Aug. 2, which pushed back all schedules.

New Sidewalk Opens Near Lot J Between Activity Center, SOM

Pedestrians heading to the School of Management from Lot J will use a new sidewalk on West Drive off the Roundabout to access the building. Crews are preparing to fence off the construction site for the recently approved Visitors Center and Campus Store, adversely affecting most pathways leading from the Activity Center to the Roundabout and School of Management. SOM visitors are urged to park in the southern portions of Lot J to shorten the walk to the building. Customers of the Activity Center and points north on campus are urged to park in the northern areas of Lot J.

  The path pedestrians usually take to access the School of Management is blocked as crews prepare to fence-in the construction site for the upcoming Visitors Center and Campus Store. However, a new sidewalk installed just south of West Drive can get people to the destination.

Access to Parking Lots C, H and I Limited due to Repairs July 31, Aug. 1

Crews will close parking Lots H and I and block off parts of Lot C on Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, Aug. 1, to seal cracks and prepare for the seal coating, weather permitting.  No other lots will be affected at this time. The work originally was scheduled for earlier in the week, but the threat of rain kept crews away. Displaced students, faculty or staff are invited to park in the Conference Center parking lot on a first-come, first-serve basis.

  Lots H (left) and I will be blocked off Saturday, July 31, and Sunday, Aug. 1, while cracks are sealed. Displaced students, faculty and staff are invited to park in the Conference Center parking lot on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Parking Lots H and I to be Closed 2 Days Starting Tuesday, July 27

Crews are preparing to make improvements to the University’s parking lots, starting with the closing of Lots H and I on Tuesday, July 27 and Wednesday, July 28. On those days, students, faculty and staff who normally park there will be allowed to park in the new Conference Center parking lot while crews seal cracks in the asphalt of Lots H and I.  On Monday, Aug. 2 through Friday, Aug. 6, Lots H and I again will close, this time for the application of seal coating and restriping. Additionally in August, crack-sealing work will begin in Lots A, B, C and D. For those lots, small portions or rows will be closed intermittently for periods of about three hours. The seal coating for Lots A, B, C and D will follow at a later date.

  Lots H (left) and I will be closed July 27-28 while cracks are sealed. Displaced students, faculty and staff are invited to park in the Conference Center parking lot on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Planned Outage Set for Engineering-Computer Science North Building Saturday

A power outage is set 8 a.m. till noon on Saturday, July 17, at the Engineering-Computer Science North (ECSN) building so that crews can repair a damaged primary electrical switching gear. Engineering and Computer Science faculty and staff are urged to shut down all computers and electrical devices before leaving work Friday evening. For more information, please contact Kelly Kinnard in Facilities Management at 972-883-2549. In other construction news:

• Crews shut down Drive H starting on Thursday, July 15, from the intersection of Drives H and A, and about 200 feet north, to stripe lanes and paint crosswalks. As a result, Lots H and I will have to be accessed from Drive L, north of Drive A off Waterview Parkway, or from Rutford Avenue and the apartment parking lots. The work was expected to be complete in six hours, and Drive H will be re-open Friday morning..
• Construction crews completed the parking lot adjacent to the Conference Center and free parking is available on a first-come, first-serve basis for the very short term. The lot, which has yet to be assigned its letter designation, opens up roughly 300 spaces in a central location on campus. By fall it will convert to color-coded parking, with a large percentage of green spaces devoted to students, faculty and staff, according to Parking and Transportation Services Manager Nancy Branch. The lot is the first in a series of lot improvements set to take place throughout the year.
• Fencing that surrounds the Founders Building was removed Tuesday, July 13, improving access and maneuverability around the area. Fencing surrounding the Math, Science and Engineering Teaching-Learning Center (MSET) is scheduled to come down later this month.

The yet-unnamed Conference Center parking lot is now open on a first-come, first-serve basis until August.

Northbound Lane of Rutford Near MSET to Close All Day Thursday

Crews will re-bore a hole into Rutford Avenue at 7 a.m., Thursday, June 10, to complete the natural gas line tie-ins for the Math, Science, and Engineering Teaching-Learning Center (MSET). This continues and completes the work started last month. Pedestrians should exercise caution.  About 60 feet of the northbound lane just south of the MSET job site entrance will be blocked. The northbound lane of Rutford will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A Facilities Management van traveling north on Rutford veers left to avoid the site where crews will complete work started last month in front of MSET.

Multipurpose/Administration Building's North Entrance Closed for Improvements

Northern access to the Multipurpose/Administration Building is barred as crews demolish and remove the aggregate and concrete sidewalks leading up to the building. Those parking in Lot R, reserved for the President, his Cabinet members and special guests to the University, either will have to walk around or park closer to the southern entrance of MP/AD to reach their offices. The sidewalk and patio area on the north side will be replaced with a canopy-covered, patio-style entrance. The work may get noisy at times, but it is scheduled for completion June 2. Concrete walking paths from Lots A and R with access ramps and railings were installed last August.

A water-cooled power circular saw cuts the aggregate sidewalk next to the Multipurpose/Administration Building into pieces Thursday, May 20. Lot R can be seen to the right in the background.

North-South Path Near Activity Center Closed For Bookstore Plumbing Project

Construction crews closed the north-south pedestrian route east of the Activity Center on Monday, May 17, to begin work installing water and sewer lines for the Bookstore. The passage that led to Lot J, entry circle and the School of Management will not reopen. A north-south sidewalk running from entry circle through the heart of the Campus Landscape Enhancement Project will open once the project is completed. To travel north or south, students, faculty, staff and visitors will either go through the Activity Center or around the west side of the building. Both routes are accessible. In addition, all emergency exits from the Activity Center will be available for evacuations.

Pedestrians found the north-south path next to the Activity Center fenced-in and off limits Monday, May 17. Crews are placing equipment and pipes in the area for a Bookstore plumbing project.

Pipe Replacement Work Takes Out Slew of Lot H Parking Spaces

Crews started a project to replace steam and chilled water piping that stretches west of Hoblitzelle Hall from Conference Center, extending further west into Lot H near the temporary classroom buildings, to the Central Energy Plant. It’s a massive project that will be completed in phases and is expected to take several weeks. Fencing surrounds key work areas primarily west of Hoblitzelle and around several parking spaces in the eastern portion of Lot H. The project involves trenching, removal of old pipes, and the placement of new ones.

About three dozen parking spaces in Lot H were lost to the steam and chilled-water piping project Monday, May 17.

Drive H Closing 3 Weeks for Repaving Project Starting Monday, May 17

Drive H, a key north-south artery that features green vinyl striping to lead drivers through parking Lots H and I toward Rutford Avenue, will be rehabilitated beginning on Monday, May 17, weather permitting. The street will be off limits to vehicular traffic for three weeks while repaving work is performed. With north-south vehicular traffic on Rutford Avenue already restricted, Waterview Parkway becomes the main north-south thoroughfare during the time Drive H is out of commission. Students living in Phases 5 and 6 of the Waterview Apartments will have to enter residential parking lots from Drives A in the south and L in the north until Drive H reopens. Students, faculty and staff who are coming from Synergy Park Boulevard near NSERL and heading south on Rutford can turn right heading west into the University Village parking lot and follow the green striping till it connects with Lot H. Lot I will be closed. Pedestrians who plan to travel on sidewalks near Drive H, which will remain open, are urged to exercise caution.

Drive H, a key north-south thoroughfare, was ripped apart Sunday, May 23, in preparation for its repavement.

Rutford Avenue Narrows to One Lane As Crews Tie-in MSET Gas Lines

Rutford Avenue narrows to one lane Thursday, May 6, so that crews can tie in natural gas lines for the Math, Science and Engineering Teaching-Learning Center (MSET). Crews will bore a hole in the northbound lane of Rutford and go underground just south of MSET to add the lines. Rutford will be coned off and flagmen will direct vehicle traffic. The work is expected to take a day. To avoid delays traveling north on campus from Drive A, follow the green vinyl striping west to Drive H, which runs parallel to Rutford. Drive H and the green stripe lead drivers north and through the student apartment parking Lot H. Follow the green vinyl striping through the parking lot, which deposits drivers on Rutford Avenue near the Residence Hall and north of the obstruction. Travelers can continue north to Synergy Park Boulevard.

Crews will bore a hole into Rutford Avenue to tie-in natural gas lines for the MSET building. Pedestrians should exercise caution.

Campus Beautification Project Heads South to Campbell Road, Main Entrance

The Campus Landscape Enhancement Plan has made its way south to Campbell Road as crews prepare to transform the main entrance to The University of Texas at Dallas. Peter Walker and Partners, the landscape architectural firm hired to enhance the campus, calls for the University's parkway entrance to feature a semi-circular stand of large oak trees with a UT Dallas sign placed prominently in the center median. The bronze badging, floodlights and walls on either side of University Parkway, with their attendant flower beds, have been or will be removed ahead of the update. In addition, earthmovers are grading land on the southernmost part of campus in preparation for the planting of hedge rows, which will run perpendicular to Campbell from Waterview Parkway east to Floyd Road. In other construction news:

• Plastic orange fencing will surround the area near Classroom Buildings 1, 2, and 3 as well as AH 1 and 2 as crews complete projects in the vicinity. Paved pathways will remain open and students and faculty will continue to have access
  Stripped of its bronze UT Dallas badging and floodlights, the entrance to The University of Texas at Dallas is about to undergo a dramatic transformation.
  to the buildings.

Access Ramp near Founders, University Theatre Goes Away Tax Day

The temporary accessibility ramp between University Theatre and the north side of Founders will go away on Thursday, April 15.  With last week’s opening of the east-west passage on Founders’ south side leading through the Campus Landscape Enhancement Project, people using wheelchairs or other assistive technologies can move up or down the grade to get around campus, negating the need to rent the portable ramp. Crews expect its dismantling to take a couple of hours. Pedestrians are urged to exercise caution in the area due to heavy equipment and increased activity.

Contractors will take down the accessibility ramp near University Theatre and Founders North on Thursday, April 15.

NSERL to Shut Down This Weekend, April 16-18

Due to scheduled interior construction projects, the Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory (NSERL) will be closed this weekend, starting at 5 p.m. Friday, April 16 and through Sunday evening, April 18.

NSERL will be closed for maintenance and repairs 5 p.m. Friday, April 16 till late Sunday, April 18.

Path Between MSET, Founders North Reopened to Pedestrians

The north-south passage between the Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Teaching-Learning Center (MSET) and Founders North was reopened Monday, April 12. The concrete placement of April 1 was successful, and crews have finished detailing the hardscape – concrete, stone and brickwork – around MSET, allowing students, faculty and staff to walk through the area.

Crews placed concrete between Founders North and MSET on April 1 and reopened the pathway Monday, April 12.

Campus' Main East-West Path Reopens Tuesday, April 6

The fence separating the Student Union from the Founders renovation will be pushed closer to the Founders Building on Tuesday, April 6, re-establishing an east-west path that stretches from Rutford Avenue in the west to beyond the north entrance to McDermott Library in the east. Students, faculty and staff will be able to walk through the Campus Landscape Enhancement Project under the trellis just north of the fountain. However, pedestrians will not be allowed to enter the Student Union from its west doors or McDermott from its east doors. The north entrances to both buildings will remain the access points until further notice. Also, the north fence near the trellis and Founders’ east face will come down to allow access to the east-west path from the north campus. In addition, the landscape enhancement’s southern route that carried traffic past construction and around the library will come down to allow crews to finish work in that area.

    Left: The ramp (far right, next to black pipes) for people coming from north campus (MP/AD, Green, Jonsson) will deposit them onto the path heading east to McDermott or west toward the Student Union. Right: The Campus Landscape Enhancement opens to foot traffic just north of the fountain and circular trellis opening Tuesday, April 6.

Concrete Placement Near MSET Scheduled for Wee Hours Thursday, April 1

A concrete placement for the landscape surrounding the Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Teaching-Learning Center (MSET) is scheduled from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m. Thursday, April 1. Freshman in the Residence Hall may hear construction noise during that time. Every effort is being made to minimize disruptions. One truck will be parked near the entrance to Jonsson Academic Center to pump in the concrete. Several concrete mixer transports are scheduled to travel back and forth along Drive D to help with the task. Anyone traveling through the area during the early morning hours Thursday is urged to exercise caution.

No foolin'! Crews placed concrete between Founders North and MSET from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m., Thursday, April 1.

Power Outage to North Campus Set Saturday, March 27; Trees Moving

An electric power outage is scheduled to take place on the UT Dallas campus Saturday, March 27, from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. in order for construction crews to complete the U Teach Project. The following buildings will be affected:

• Arts and Technology Building (ATEC)
• Visual Arts Building (AS)
• Founders North (FN)
• Jonsson Academic Center (JO)
• Ida Green Center (GC)
• Cecil Green Hall (GR)
• Multipurpose/Administration Building (MP/AD)
• Dallas International School (DIS)
• North Office Building (NB)
• North Lab (NL)

Students, faculty, and staff should turn off all computers and electronic equipment before leaving work stations Friday, March 26. Shutting down equipment reduces the odds of complications. For safety, buildings will be secured during the outage. Only those with permission from UT Dallas Police will be given access. Emergency generators will support critical loads. All service is expected to be restored within an hour of completion of the electrical work. For more information, please contact Kelly Kinnard, director of Physical Plant Services, at 972-883-2549.

• Also, trees in the center median of University Parkway are continuing to be moved north to other parts of campus, but traffic delays still are expected to be minimal.

Sidewalk Install on Drive A Near Waterview; Library Landscape Improves; Trees on the Move

Crews will begin work Thursday, March 18, to install a sidewalk on the north side of Drive A extending west from the Waterview Apartments to Waterview Parkway. The installation is expected to take two weeks and traffic disruptions should be minimal.

• Landscaping crews are making improvements to the north side of McDermott Library. Access through the area will remain open, but pedestrians are urged to exercise caution as heavy equipment may move in and out of the area in front of the library.
• Some trees in the center median of University Parkway will be moved north to be transplanted in other parts of campus starting Thursday, March 18. Traffic delays are expected to be minimal.

Construction markers stand as placeholders for a sidewalk to be installed starting Thursday, March 18.

Path Between Founders North, MSET to Close for Spring Break, Re-open 3 Weeks Later

• Crews will tie in the steam lines for the Student Services Building beginning March 12. As a result, steam will not be available at neither the Engineering and Computer Science South nor the Activity Center. No other buildings will be affected. Steam service will be back by the end of the day Sunday, March 14.
• The west entrance and elevator to Founders will be closed 5 p.m. March 12. Access to the Founders elevator, when necessary, can only occur from the sky bridge serving Founders and Founders Annex. The west doors and elevator return to service about three weeks later, weather permitting.

Work crews started extending the hardscape between Founders North's Science and Engineering Education Center (SEEC) and the upcoming Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Teaching-Learning Center (MSET) during spring break and should finish about the first week in April, weather permitting.