Construction on mall increases noise surrounding UA campus

Brian Foster Arizona Daily Wildcat A construction worker digs in a trench outside of the Modern Languages and Psychology buildings to relocate water pipes in preparation for the construction of the Integrated Learning Center. The construction in front of Modern Languages is scheduled to be done in December, and the ILC is scheduled to be done in the fall of 2000.

"Right now, work is going on in preparation that will continue until December," said Melissa Dryden, public information coordinator for UA's Facilities Design and Construction.

Dryden said she hopes to begin accepting project bids from contractors in November, and construction should start by January. The project is expected to be completed by fall 2000, she said.

"The excavation itself would be one of the first things to get underway," Dryden said. "We anticipate the excavation part of the project will be most disruptive to the campus."

The University of Arizona Mall area between the Administration building and Kuiper Space Sciences building, east of North Cherry Avenue, will be fenced off, she said.

"The hole itself is more in front of the Main Library and the Modern Languages building," Dryden said.

About 100,000 cubic yards of earth are expected to be removed and carted away over at least a six-week period.

"We don't know where the dirt will end up yet," Dryden said. "That's a big question."

Hauling the dirt is one of the most expensive aspects of excavation, she said.

"We have to look at who's going to need dirt in the future," Dryden said, referring to the search for a nearby location to ditch the dirt in order to keep costs down.

Local neighborhoods will be affected too, since dump trucks will haul dirt along Tucson's city streets - possibly in the middle of the night.

Dryden said the UA is requesting that work be done during off-peak traffic hours. The contractor will be given the opportunity to find the best way to accomplish that, she said.

"There' s a good chance some excavation could be done overnight," Dryden said.

The UA has acknowledged that surrounding communities may experience increased traffic, construction noise and clouds of dust churned up by the digging.

Libby Stone, a UA neighborhood relations coordinator, said 10 areas around the university will be affected by the construction, including Sam Hughes and Rincon Heights.

In response to concerns from nearby neighborhood associations, a UA committee will inform residents about the project's progress through monthly meetings.

"We wanted to make sure there was one-on-one contact with the neighborhoods right around the UA - to get to them individually," Stone said.

UA students had mixed reactions about whether benefits of the ILC, a language and study center primarily for freshmen and first-year transfer students, will outweigh the hassles.

"I don't think it's that big of an inconvenience," said communication junior Sean Thomas. "If it's going to benefit us by getting the freshmen out of the way it's worth the inconvenience further on down the road anyway."

Brian Dolan, project manager for the ILC's utilities construction, said he hopes to complete his phase by next year.

The construction, which includes the addition of a new pipe to carry chilled water for the ILC, will move up to North Cherry Avenue and East University Boulevard near the end of the month, Dryden said.

Education freshman Daniel Barry was curious about why the construction could not be done over the summer when there are fewer students around.

"I guess it's an all right idea, but maybe they should consider doing the construction during the summertime," Barry said. "I also think the sight of the construction will deter many freshmen from coming to school here."

But Dryden said construction must continue year-round because of the project's duration.

"Some work will be done during two summers," she said. "Unfortunately, with long projects we can't just do them over the summer."

Pre-education soph-omore Cheryl Laughlin was not thrilled about the noise and campus traffic problems that will result from the project.

"I think it'll benefit freshmen quite a bit but they've picked an incon-venient spot to put it - it cuts campus right in half," Laughlin said. "Sometimes it's a pain when you're right in the middle of class to hear a tractor going."

Michael Lafleur can be reached via e-mail at Michael.Lafleur@wildcat.arizona.edu.