Welcome back, Miners, to the Spring 2015 semester at The University of Texas at El Paso. During the winter break, contractors have continued to work on the big projects that will benefit those who work, study and live on and around the UTEP campus. Here is an update on what students, faculty, staff and other visitors can expect when they return to campus on Jan. 20.
Centennial Plaza: The multi-surfaced pedestrian pathways around the center of the plaza should be completed. Many of the smaller projects within the construction fences, such as the area around the lhakhang and the Geology Lawn, are done. New light poles are in and the planned arroyos have been excavated and landscaped. People interested in getting an early view of what the plaza will look like are encouraged to check the area from the UTEP Dinner Theatre patio, the front stairs of the Psychology Building or the Centennial Museum lawn.
Student housing: Crews have started to frame the roof on the first of two residential units. Approximately 80 percent of the utility work has been completed on Sun Bowl Drive near the entrance to the job site. University officials are finalizing agreements with the utilities. Trench work will commence after the negotiations are completed in the near future. The units are scheduled to open in fall 2015.
Spur 1966: The $31 million Texas Department of Transportation project that will connect Paisano Drive to Schuster Avenue at the roundabout on the southern end of campus is scheduled to be completed in June 2015. TxDOT said motorists who use Interstate 10 can expect occasional closures of lanes and entrance and exit ramps near the work zone until the project is finished. Sometime this spring award-winning artist Donald Lipski will install his piece of public art in the middle of the roundabout. The New Yorker calls his piece “The Cloud.”
