Students trying to cross Legacy Bridge on upper campus may want to ride the shuttle to avoid the U’s latest construction project.
Part of a campus-wide electrical infrastructure upgrade, the development blocks off much of the sidewalk and parking lot below Officer’s Circle on the east part of the bridge. Shireen Ghorbani, spokesperson for Facilities Management, said crews should finish work by the end of October.
“The great thing about [these projects] are that they’re really wonderful in terms of what they do in terms of improving the infrastructure on campus,” she said. “But they’re a little bit of a pain because they’re everywhere and, at the end, you don’t see a big difference because everything’s underground.”
The update will increase stability in the U’s electrical system. The current construction at the south entrance of the Union is also a part of the electrical updates, all of which the U will finish by the end of Feb. 2016.
Ghorbani said a development similar to the electrical upgrades will start sometime next year to fix the campus high-temperature water distribution system.
These projects together will cost $99 million over the next four years, most of which is funded by the Utah Legislature through the Capital Improvement Funds. Some of the money also comes from the U, but none will be taken out of student fees.
Brandon Pope, a freshman in biomedical engineering living in the dorms, said the construction by campus is a bit of an inconvenience but hasn’t caused any significant changes to his schedule. His only complaint came from the abrupt start of the project.
“It would be nice if they could let us know what they were doing, why and the expected time of completion,” he said. “It would just be nice to be informed.”
To find out how to plan the best route around this and other construction impacts, visit map.utah.edu/ and turn on the construction feature, which will highlight all current projects in red.
@Ehmannky