Campus Construction Update for Oct. 19

These are among the construction activities scheduled Oct. 19-25 at the University of Wyoming:

Gateway Opening -- Grand opening and ribbon cutting for the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center is set for Friday, Oct. 24 at 11 a.m. Read more.

Lewis Street -- Lewis Street will remain closed from 10th Street to 13th Street through Oct. 31. Access to Wyoming/McWhinnie Hall parking lots and Willett Drive is open for normal traffic. Parking on Willett will remain closed. Excavation work on 19th Street is complete, and the sidewalk is now open. Crews will be working within the Greenhill Cemetery for the next few weeks. It is recommended that pedestrians access campus at 10th or 12th streets; 11th may be open at Bradley, but access will be closed at Lewis. Tunnel and vault construction will continue in Lewis through mid-November. Parking west of the site on Lewis will be impacted, along with access to the Energy Innovation Center loading dock.

The UW Facilities Planning Office reports the following activities for the week.

Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts (General contractor Sampson Construction, Cheyenne; Fine Arts Building renovation and expansion; scheduled completion March 2015) -- The parking lot on the east side of the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts is closed and is being used for construction staging. Building visitors should use the parking lot on the north side of the building. Those entering the Performing Arts Center must now enter through the doors on the building’s west side. This will be the entrance for all building operations, including classes, ticket purchases and performances, until construction is complete.

The parking lot south of the building is partially closed through late October for new sanitary and storm sewer pipe installation. The building heating system is now up and running. Part of the west sidewalk along the north end is partially closed to pedestrians through late October for landscaping. Exterior framing, sheathing and vapor barrier installation is complete. Masonry work is ongoing on the south and east sides. Exterior glazing will continue on the south side this week. Roofing is complete. Interior framing/drywall, rough-in plumbing, duct work, and electrical work are ongoing. The northwest addition wall framing is 95 percent complete, with electrical and plumbing rough-ins ongoing. Work in the existing building is ongoing, with display boards, curtains, acoustic wall panels and carpeting ongoing. Heavy truck traffic will be frequent near War Memorial Fieldhouse, 22nd Street and Willett Drive, and along the road west of the College of Law Building.

Arena-Auditorium Renovations (General contractor Haselden Constructors, Casper; Willett Drive; scheduled completion fall 2014) -- Phase 1 of the Arena-Auditorium renovation is approximately 80 percent complete. The ADA seating platforms are complete, and the handrails are being painted. Concrete masonry unit walls that form the ADA, media and camera platforms will be painted this week. The new fixed seating extending from the concourse level down to the retaining wall/railing has been installed and covered with plastic. The retractable seating that will form the bottom half of the lower bowl is complete, with the exception of adjustments and commissioning of the system. The installation is approximately 90 percent complete. Staining and painting of the floor is nearing completion, with only the two finish coats remaining.

In the lower/locker room level, painting is approximately 95 percent complete. The built-in wood lockers have been installed in both the women’s and men’s locker rooms. Trim work and remaining case work are wrapping up in all rooms on the lower level. The LED competition floor and practice floor lighting is installed and will be focused/commissioned to achieve the proper lighting levels for competition play. The audio and video systems are complete and will be commissioned next week. The hydrotherapy tubs located in the sports medicine room are currently being installed and will be complete by the end of the week. Tile installation in the lower level/locker rooms is underway and approximately 95 percent complete.

Enzi STEM Facility (General contractor AP Wyoming, Cheyenne; Lewis Street between 10th and 11th streets; scheduled completion May 2015) -- Lewis Street remains closed between 10th and 11th streets. Please note that this project is being managed and administered by the State Construction Office. There will be utility work in 11th Street along with steam line and storm water work in the intersection of 11th and Lewis streets beginning approximately Oct. 20, and lasting at least three weeks. This work is tied to the progress of the steam line extension along Lewis. This will restrict access across Lewis at 12th and 11th streets.

Watch for construction traffic on Lewis, 10th, 11th and Bradley streets. For safety, pedestrians should make eye contact with equipment operators and delivery drivers outside the fenced area so they are aware of their presence. There will be equipment moving materials from storage to site. You can visit the webcam here.

Visual Arts Center (22nd Street and Willett Drive near the Centennial Complex) -- Installation of stone will continue this week. Progress on this work is dependent on the weather and may be further delayed. The contractor is using a portion of the northwest parking area as a staging area.

Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center -- Spruce Court (General contractor: Arcon Inc., Laramie) -- Current site activities for the Spruce Court include installation of framing and decking. Service vehicles entering campus from the gate at 9½ Lewis St. should use caution.

Half Acre Gymnasium Addition and Renovation (General contractor Groathouse Construction Inc., Cody; scheduled completion of Phase 1, east reconstruction/addition, Jan. 20, 2015; Phase 2, historic west renovation, spring 2015) -- Full project information is available here. Construction progress can be observed via the project webcam here. Half Acre Gymnasium remains open and accessible via the west entrance. The day lot parking area and roadway immediately east of Half Acre Gymnasium are closed. Temporary day-use parking has been established in the lot east of the Wyoming Union.

Construction and staging areas north, south and east of the existing building have been established and are closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic, except that which is construction related. Access to Prexy’s Pasture from the east Wyoming Union parking lot between Half Acre and the Wyoming Union is closed until further notice. Please use alternate routes through the Wyoming Union or between the Union and Coe Library. Heavy truck traffic, including construction materials transport, concrete trucks and other haulers, will be frequent on Willett Drive west of 15th Street and along the perimeter of the Wyoming Union parking lot. Temporary traffic controls and signs are either in place or will be established as needed by specific site activities.

Construction work for Phase 1, consisting of the reconstruction/addition of the east portion of the existing building, continues. Interior construction is continuing, with building systems rough-in, masonry, wall and ceiling systems framing, and fireproofing nearing completion on the upper floors. Finish construction is well underway on the first floor, including drywall finishing, painting, ceiling work, and preparation for flooring. Exterior building enclosure work has progressed to achieve building “dry-in” while exterior stone and masonry work continues, primarily on the northeast and north elevations of the building. Specialty building equipment, including climbing wall/pinnacle components and penthouse HVAC units, has been delivered and installed in advance of field finishing and startup.

The sub-phase of the Phase 1 reconstruction/addition to build out the northwest corner adjacent to the retained existing stone walls continues. Adjacent pedestrian pathways north of Half Acre Gymnasium between Prexy’s Pasture and Willett Drive remain open; however, the continuing construction in this vicinity will result in increased congestion. Temporary traffic controls and signs will be established as needed by specific site activities.

Site improvement work on Willett Drive west of 15th Street and south of Wyoming Hall has progressed to allow Willett Drive to be reopened to normal traffic. Site improvement work along the south perimeter of Willett Drive will continue. Site improvement work will impact portions of the parking lot east of the Wyoming Union through Oct. 31. Normal vehicular access to the parking lot will remain open; however, construction work along the north perimeter of this lot will require some temporary detours in that area. Temporary traffic controls and signs will be established as needed by specific site activities. Please observe all posted traffic control, construction signs and temporary flagging in the affected areas.

Biological Sciences Building Mechanical Modifications (General Contractor Independent Heating and Sheet Metal, Laramie) -- Fifth-floor ceiling grid, ceiling panels, duct modifications and lighting are complete; air balancing and sound testing also are complete. Two weeks of integration testing on the fifth floor will start again in two weeks. Final roof installation and moving of animals back into the Vivarium are on hold until the air handler leaks are fixed.

ESCo Project (Long Energy Solutions, Casper) -- Engineering air distribution and control work continues. Non-lab and lab area work on all floors is 95 percent complete in occupied areas. Exhaust upgrades will continue through October in the penthouse. The heating system in the Engineering Building is back on. New VAV installations for non-lab areas in the College of Agriculture Building are complete.

Education Annex -- Literacy Research Center and Clinic (General contractor Shepard Construction Inc., Rawlins) -- This project is substantially complete and occupancy has been taken, with all access and site restrictions removed. Some minor work is yet to be completed by construction crews. Please observe any temporary provisions in place to accommodate the work.

The UW Physical Plant has 314 projects in progress valued at more than $36.9 million. Following is a list of ongoing construction activities in areas of campus that may impact you:

Campus -- Physical Plant crews will continue winterizing and blowing out irrigation sprinkler systems through October. Overspray onto sidewalks and driveways could create slippery areas. Please use caution, especially in shadowed areas when overnight temperatures drop.

Health Sciences (Stonehouse Inc. Laramie, November 2014) -- Traffic control barricades, equipment staging and excavation are underway on the entire south side of the Health Sciences Building. The work will consist of foundation waterproofing and installation of a perimeter drain. During this project, building access and egress will be prohibited at the northwest doors of the Classroom Building and the south center doors to Health Sciences. Doors may be used only in case of emergency. Work is scheduled to be complete Nov. 14. Please be cautious around the traffic control barricades and fencing.

Health Sciences Building (UW Physical Plant) -- Work will continue through October to renovate Room 483 to create three additional rooms. Removal of lab benches and flooring is ongoing. Please use caution near work areas.

Shipping and Receiving/General Storage (General Contractor Arcon Inc., Laramie, scheduled completion November 2014) -- A new concrete approach will be installed at the entrance off of 15th Street. The main entrance off of 15th Street northwest of General Storage remains closed. Storm water infrastructure improvements and site work will be ongoing. Delivery trucks will need to use 19th Street for access. View a map of the detour here.

Wyoming Union (Mullen’s Heating Inc., Laramie) -- Upgrades to the main air handler unit are scheduled to be complete Oct. 13. Building occupants may notice periodic interruptions to air flow within the Union.

Coe Library -- Work in this area has been placed on hold as Physical Plant crews continue to isolate a possible leak in the campus chilled water system.

Biological/Physical Sciences Building -- Painting of bathroom stalls continues. Individual restrooms will be closed while crews are working. Please use caution near these areas.

Cowboy Baseball Field (General contractor Highland Landscaping and Contracting, Laramie; scheduled completion October 2014) -- Infield improvement work is ongoing. The project scope includes removing grass, topsoil and infield dirt; installing drainage and irrigation; and replacing grass and infield dirt. Please use caution near staging area, and watch for heavy equipment entering and exiting the site.

Fieldhouse North (General contractor Elk Ridge Builders, Laramie; scheduled completion October 2014) -- Renovations are ongoing in the wrestling room, break room (047) and support spaces. Demolition operations may cause noise in adjoining areas. Construction will be contained mainly within the west end of the fieldhouse basement. Staging will be located on the exterior of the building’s east side. Please proceed with caution in and around this area, especially on the staircase directly adjacent to the work area.

McWhinnie Hall/Education (General contractor Elk Ridge Builders, Laramie; scheduled completion October 2014) -- With the exception of the installation of benches this month, this project is substantially complete. A few punch-list items also remain. Be aware of crews and equipment in the area as the project is completed.

Engineering Building (General contractor Independent Heating and Sheet Metal, Laramie; scheduled completion October 2014) -- Air management and digital control upgrades to improve building efficiency are ongoing. Be aware of ladders and equipment in the corridors.

Grand Avenue (UW Physical Plant) -- Landscaping, lighting and signage work will continue through October as remediation from the street expansion project is completed.

Energy Innovation Center (General contractor The Plumbing Company, Laramie; scheduled completion September 2014) -- Work is substantially complete to replace HVAC equipment in Room 377.

Fire Hydrant Testing (UW Physical Plant and the Laramie Fire Department) -- Fire hydrant testing is complete.