It seems to be cropping up all over campus. You may have noticed the signs: the high-pitched beeping of trucks, the mechanical growls of construction cranes, the purr of jackhammers.
Construction projects have been changing the face of campus for years, and this year is no different.
Over the summer, crews finished renovations to Dod Hall; continued work on the genomics institute, a new dormitory, 185 Nassau St., McCarter Theatre, the art library and East Pyne, Green and Robertson halls; and broke ground on the Witherspoon Hall project.
The construction on Dod included a full restoration of the dormitory and the addition of elevators, said Jon Hlafter '61, director of physical planning.
In addition to replacing the parking area on the west side of Dod with a new pedestrian plaza and drop-off area, crews completed many landscaping projects including replacing walks in the Joline/Campbell courtyard with bluestone and cobblestone as part of a master plan to restore the campus's historic areas, Hlafter said.
Crews also completed the Class of 1948 Plaza by West College over the summer.
"I think that a number of our grounds projects have been completed," Hlafter said.
However, the building department has far to go. The last time campus was this busy in terms of construction was during the 1960s when Jadwin Gym, Jadwin Hall, Fine Hall, the Art Museum and Wilson and Butler colleges were being built, Hlafter said. During that period, the size of campus nearly doubled.
"There's no question that the 2001-2002 academic year was clearly one of the very busiest ever," Hlafter said.
New elevators will be added during the renovation of Witherspoon, as part of the annual dormitory renovation projects. University policy mandates that any new building projects and major rehabilitations include wheelchair accessibility. "Witherspoon Hall will be offline for the coming academic year," Hlafter said.
Other projects slated to be completed this year include 185 Nassau St., where crews have already constructed new painting studios. New bathrooms, exits and a sprinkler system will be added to bring the old schoolhouse up to date.
McCarter Theatre is working with the University to enlarge its building to hold two rehearsal spaces and a 350-seat theater. Construction will be finished this spring.
The first project to be completed will be the genomics institute along Washington Road. The major improvements of Robertson Hall are also coming to a close, Hlafter said. "We're just about complete with the reconstruction of Scudder Plaza," he said.
But Because of current state water restrictions, Hlafter said, the University may not be able to fill the pool in time for Wilson School seniors to take their annual dip after theses.
Most projects currently underway are on schedule except for East Pyne and Chancellor Green. The project has fallen slightly behind because of so much construction occurring at one time.
"None of the projects have fallen too far behind," Hlafter said. "We're struggling with East Pyne and Chancellor Green . . . but I think we'll make it."
Construction will continue for quite some time as new projects break ground this fall. University administrators recently approved plans for a new academic building east of the Joseph Henry House, which will get underway within a few weeks, Hlafter said.
The new building, along with the new dormitory on Elm Drive, will not be completed until 2004.
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