Latest Construction Updates
Filed under Campus Renovations
Posted by Facilities, July 09, 2006
View all posts for July 2006
Here’s the latest “what to expect” during the next two weeks. As always, construction related announcements, including this one, can be viewed on the Facilities web page at http://my.simmons.edu/services/facilities/.
As a general note: the construction site is for authorized personnel only. To ensure safety please use the designated pedestrian paths around the campus.
During the week of 7/10 the guide wall installations will be taking place along the main driveway. The current location of the construction fencing will not change. The driveway will remain the same width as it is currently, though at times when equipment needs to be moved or for certain activities, there may be some minor delays in traffic movement. There will be construction personnel directing traffic as needed. The guide wall installations work will be completed by 7/21/06
Additional large cranes (similar to the large crane on site now) will be brought on site within the next few weeks.
The slurry plant will be assembled over the next two weeks. Parts of this equipment are already on site and rest at the back of the college center. Assembly does not create significant noise. The slurry plant will be located adjacent the HCP ramp at the west side of MCB (library end). The plant will be operational by 7/21/06. When in operation the noise will be similar to a concrete truck.
There will be continuing noise from large equipment, including excavators, dump trucks and concrete trucks similar to the past two weeks.
Installation of the temporary driveway between Park Science and Lefavour Hall has started.. This driveway will be paved during the next two weeks. Expect some odor which will dissipate after a few hours. Construction vehicles will begin using this temporary driveway, but will continue to enter campus from our existing driveway.
Extensive pruning of trees adjacent to Park Science and a protective maintenance plan is being implemented. We will be relocating one tree adjacent Park Science and the Lefavour building. The arborists have determined that it is feasible to relocate this tree. If the success rate is very low we may decide to remove the tree and plan to plant more. Unfortunately, as you may have noticed, the beech tree which had been previously re-located did not survive and it has been removed. There are also two trees adjacent to the driveway and existing garage ramp that have been determined by the arborist to be in poor health and to be crowding the growth of a group of healthy lindens. They have also been removed. Padding and plank protection have been installed on several groups of other trees along our drive to ensure their safety during construction.
Widening of the driveway at the MCB end of Palace Road to allow deliveries from Palace road will be completed within the next two weeks..
The large excavation at the corner of the Palace road building nearest to MCB is to allow us to complete some waterproofing repairs at the existing garage wall below grade. The excavation will be covered with steel plates during off hours for pedestrian and vehicular safety.
Note about driveway access to and from our existing underground garage ramp: It will be necessary to temporarily adjust the construction fence along the driveway during several of the upcoming early construction activities. This will sometimes require reducing the width of the driveway to one lane in some locations. Access to and from the garage will be maintained and construction personnel will direct traffic to ensure safe access. There will be additional dates when we will have a single lane condition later in the summer during slurry wall installation. These dates will be provided as soon as they are available.
The Facilities Department would like to extend our thanks to several faculty, staff and students who have given us feed back and suggestions regarding the construction activities. One person in particular forwarded a link to us with some information about “top down” construction. If you have a few moments to review the site it will give you the basics about how the garage will be built utilizing this method of construction. The link is http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/doc/TopDown%20Final.pdf
For clarification what is referred to as the retaining - diaphragm wall on this site is what we note in these updates as the slurry wall (garage foundation walls). Figures 5 and 6 do not apply to this project as the slurry walls will be the finished interior walls of the garage. The plaza deck (roof level of the garage structure) will be permanent and struts are not used as the plaza deck and each subsequent level installed downward replaces the need for “strut bracing”
We appreciate your cooperation regarding the construction activities. Should you have any questions or concerns please contact Edward Jacques at 617-521-2063 or Edward.jacques@simmons.edu.
We welcome any feedback regarding impacts so far due to construction activities on site.
