Summertime construction projects improve campus

By Dave Groves, staff writer

Upgrading two plazas that welcome thousands of Oakland University students to campus each day is part of a busy summer construction and facilities maintenance roster this year.

The plaza between North Foundation Hall and South Foundation Hall leading to the Oakland Center will be reconstructed with an eye toward a more inviting design, as will the plaza located between Oakland Center and O’Dowd Hall.

The work is expected to take place in early summer and be complete in time to welcome students to the 2009-10 school year. The plazas will be closed to pedestrian traffic throughout construction, as will the main entryway on the west side of O’Dowd Hall. Access to Oakland Center will be limited to the north, east and south entrances. Access to O’Dowd Hall will be limited to east and the southwest entrances.

For road maintenance purposes, the main entrance to campus at Squirrel and University will be closed from mid-May to the end of July. Pavement in both the entry and exit lanes, as well as the ring road, will be replaced. During construction, road signage will direct drivers to enter campus using either Pioneer Road to the south or the P1 Parking lot entrance off of Squirrel Road to the north.

In addition to campuswide paving projects scheduled for various times in June and July, culvert and road repairs will be made to Meadow Brook Road between Hamlin Hall and University Student Apartments this month and next. Commencement week activities will not be hindered, however.

Sidewalk upgrades throughout campus, but primarily north and south of the Bear Lake bridge, will be completed in June and July. During the same period, North Foundation Hall and Vandenberg Hall lawn will have irrigation systems installed. In August, manhole repairs and the removal of traffic barriers in the P-36 Parking Lot will be made, located between Dodge Hall and Elliot and Varner halls.

Moving indoors, the most noticeable improvements the campus community will see is renovation of the second floor of O’Dowd Hall for the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, as well as replacement of floor tile on the first and second floors.

Interior renovations and repairs also are taking place in Wilson Hall, Anibal House and Dodge Hall, and a corridor in North Foundation Hall will have glass walls installed. Meanwhile, O’Dowd and Hamlin halls will receive elevator upgrades, and Kresge Library will see the final phase of roofing work completed.

The campus community should take note that some utility system testing and improvement projects will lead to intermittent power outages and computer network access interruptions. The work includes generator testing, emergency lighting and sign upgrades and replacement of a backup power supply system in Dodge Hall. The latter project will interrupt access to the university’s computer network on June 27 and 28.

During the summer months, visit the News @ OU for regular updates on how this year’s improvement projects may impact traffic and campus activities.