Chris Kemp

Some students have gazed out of their lower campus dorm room windows this year to see cranes and bulldozers framing their river view.

Junior Eric Highlander is an RA in Putnam Hall, one of the two residence halls on lower campus that have been front and center as the riverbank renovation unfolded.

“My general opinion is that it’s been taking too long,” he said of the construction.

After a two-month delay, construction began on July 13, 2004, after concerns were raised about the possibility of flooding and the stability of the Chippewa River bank.

A method called concrete cassions helped stabilize the riverbank. The process involves drilling deep holes into the riverbed and filling them with concrete.

Residents of Putnam Hall have voiced concerns throughout the year, Highlander said, because of parking problems, equipment operation early in the mornings and congestion on the narrow road.

“I think it’s been sort of a nuisance,” he said. “But I understand it had to be done.”

Terry Classen, director of Facilities Planning and Management, said the project, while drawn out longer than originally planned, was nearing completion.

“With one exception, (the project) is finished,” he said.

That exception is the issue of landscaping, he said, which required an additional permit. Black dirt and trees will eventually conceal the bare rocks that currently cover the bank.

In a Spectator article published Jan. 31, Classen cited the reasons for delay, including budget negotiations between the state department and the construction contractor.

These delays, he had said, were beyond the university’s direct control. Now, Classen said, everyone involved, including the construction contractor, is trying to reach the end as quickly as possible.

“(The contractor) is anxious to get back and finish up,” Classen said.

He said that once the project is completed, he has permission to re-open Garfield Avenue and the hill to traffic.

Junior Kelly McCaughey, an RA in Putnam Hall, said common sources of complaint from residents have included issues of limited parking. She said the storage of construction equipment in Putnam lot and the closed hill has sometimes made finding a parking spot difficult.

“I know there’s been a lot of frustration,” McCaughey said.

Even though the plan is to open Garfield Avenue once the project is finished, Classen said the road might be temporarily closed again, in order to fix the disrepair caused by construction and make it more pedestrian-friendly.

“Garfield Avenue needs an overhaul,” he said.

Any future plans for work on Garfield Avenue would be open to public comment, Classen said.

McCaughey said she isn’t worried about continued construction overlapping with finals week and move-out.

“(The construction crews) were good about stopping in time for move-in,” she said. “Hopefully they’ll do the same for move-out.”