by Stuart Overbey
Daily Lobo
During winter break, several construction projects will begin around campus that will cause road closures and changes in pedestrian routes.
According to the UNM Web site, Way To Go at www.unm.edu/waytogo/bigi.html, one of the most visible of these projects will be the construction of a utility tunnel trench extension in front of Popejoy Hall that will impact drivers and pedestrians using Redondo Drive.
The Web site states that the first phase of the project will begin Monday, Dec. 16. Redondo Drive will be closed at the bookstore crosswalk and traffic must use Central Avenue as a detour between Yale Boulevard and Stanford Drive.
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The trench will occupy all of the sidewalk area from Redondo to the entrance of Popejoy Hall and Johnson Center, except for a lane six-feet wide on the west side of the construction area.
Phase One is scheduled to be completed Feb. 14, 2003, and Phase Two is scheduled to begin the same day.
In the second phase, the trench work will extend from the entrance of Popejoy Hall to the Student Health Center entrance, and will surround the fountain east of the Student Union Building. In this phase, the sidewalk area will again be reduced and vendors will not be on campus until the work ends April 14.
The trench will be about 14 feet deep and the utility conduits it contains will serve existing buildings as well as the new parking structure under construction, the Web site states.
A committee with representatives from Facility Planning, Parking and Transportation Services, Safety, Health and Environment, Popejoy Hall Public Events Administration, Johnson Center and Transportation Information collaborated to plan the timing and execution of the tunnel's construction.
On the other side of campus, the intersection of Las Lomas and Yale Boulevard will be closed from Dec. 21, 2002, to Jan. 2, 2003, for repaving.
The weight of the shuttle buses has damaged the pavement on and around the intersection, said Brian Eagan of the Way To Go program of the Transportation Information Department.
Construction of a new wing at the Ford Utility Center will begin tomorrow. The wing will contain cogeneration equipment, which produces both heat and electricity. Eagan said the plant project is expected to pay for itself over time through savings from increased energy efficiency.
Large windows on the south side of the wing will allow students in the engineering buildings to view the inner workings of the plant.
Materials for building the new wing have been occupying part of the parking lot by the Engineering Annex, and as workers use the materials, more parking spaces will become available, Eagan said.
