Construction Update 4/8/2019

Great news this week: the preliminary plans and budget of $1.3 million for the new Chemistry Learning Center facility in the Medical Sciences Center were approved by the Board of Regents. Aro-Eberle architects and UW Facilities Planning and Management have been authorized to proceed with detailed plans for the new CLC study areas and offices. We are on track for the CLC to move before the fall 2020 semester begins.

Building Updates

Activity continues in the sub-basement of Daniels. Electrical and communications ducts are being installed in the trenches that were dug last week. Also, this week we expect that sealed and carefully labeled drums of mercury waste collected from various sources in Daniels will be removed from the sub-basement.

There will be continued congestion in the loading-dock area this week. Last Wednesday’s concrete pour was not as large or time-consuming as expected but that means more pouring this week. We expect a concrete pump truck to be set up near the loading dock, blocking traffic to the dock at several times, probably starting Monday morning. Delivery of steel reinforcing bars for concrete pours and removal of mercury drums from the sub-basement will also cause congestion at the loading dock—avoid the area unless you absolutely need to use it. Work is proceeding on the mock-up of the exterior of the new tower. The purpose of the mock-up is to verify materials to be used for the tower’s exterior and to demonstrate how the materials can be put together to create a complete enclosure. (During this summer we expect a second mock-up to be constructed inside the Daniels wing, this time to verify materials and construction of the laboratory casework and hoods.) The exterior mock-up is at the east end of UW Lot 45, across Mills Street from the power plant. Forms for concrete are being set up, steel reinforcing bars are in place, and soon concrete will be poured for mock-up columns. Then we will have a preview of the appearance of our new tower.

Work is ongoing in Charter Street, which ought to be partly re-opened in a couple weeks and ready for two-way traffic in about a month. That’s a good thing, because beginning Monday, April 8, Dayton Street will be closed to through traffic from Charter Street to Park Street. Those coming north on Park Street who want to get to our building must go to University Avenue, turn left, and then proceed to either Mills Street (which is open southbound from University to Johnson) or Orchard Street (which will get them to Johnson to come back to the building). Northbound Mills Street will be closed at Dayton Street, but northbound Charter Street will be open all the way to Johnson Street. More information about the Dayton Street closure is available at https://go.wisc.edu/2o2u39.

This information is up-to-date as of Friday afternoon. Email bulletins will be provided as needed.

John Moore and Bob McMahon